The Man with the Black Charizard
by KATTALNUVA
Summary: Due to popular demand, all my old Pokémon fanfics are coming back. Sequel to Omegamoah. Giovanni hires the Pokémon World's deadliest mercenary to get his revenge on Ash for ruining his plans for World Domination. Be advised, the following fan fiction predates the release of generation VI, and has been modified from it's original version to improve the story.
1. The Bigger Fish

**For those of you just joining us**

**After eight years of training Pokémon, Ash Ketchum's determination finally paid off when he came in first at the Indigo Conference and became the Regional Pokémon League Champion of Kanto. The celebration was cut short when Giovanni unleashed Omegamoah, a gigantic Pokémon created by combining the DNA of the strongest Pokémon species Team Rocket could get their hands on. As a demonstration of the beast's power Giovanni had Omegamoah destroy Professor Oak's lab, fortunately the Professor was able to evacuate the Pokémon in time. When the government refused to give in to Giovanni's demands he set Omegamoah loose on Cerulean City. The Floral Lagoon city was transformed into a sea of fire. Ash, his friends, and Lance's entire battalion of Pokémon G-Men were powerless and could only watch as Omegamoah vented its rage.**

**Using information they had gathered by the reformed Rocket Trio, who had been left on an island in the middle of nowhere to rot by Giovanni, The Pokémon G-Men mounted a full-scale assault on the Rocket Headquarters while Ash faced Giovanni in a six on six Pokémon battle and emerged victorious. Though Giovanni was locked safely behind bars; Omegamoah was still on the loose, now controlled by Professor Namba. Fortunately Gary Oak was able to discover a weakness in Omegamoah that they were able to exploit. After the beast had been weakened Ash used a revolutionary new Poké Ball that had been created by Mewtwo to capture the beast.**

**Though Ash admitted he couldn't take all the credit for Omegamoah's capture, he quickly became the poster boy. Taking advantage of his new publicity Ash started his own Pokémon tournament called the "Omega Games", with all the proceeds going towards the restoration of Professor Oak's lab and Cerulean City.**

**Ash hasn't let his championship title go to his head. When the Omega Games are over he plans to continue training his Pokémon to the best of his ability. As someone famous once said, "There's always a bigger fish."**

A group of men stood a few blocks away from the Oreburgh Pokémon Center. The moon was full so they knew this job would have to be done quickly.

"How many are there?"

"Dozens. The research lab sends all their revived fossil Pokémon here once a month to give them checkups. There will be more than enough to split among the six of us."

"Seven, don't forget the guy who hired us."

"He thinks he can take a slice without getting his hands dirty? Fuck that."

"Yeah, way I see it he's probably rich enough. But ever since Team Galactic fell apart I've been in the hole."

"Everybody remember the plan?"

"Smith's Magneton takes out the security alarms, then while the staff is running about in confusion, we cut through a window and grab all the fossil Pokémon we can get our hands on. The Poké Balls are marked with bones. Then we haul our asses out of there, split up, and regroup back at the hideout."

"Okay… on my mark."

They made sure no one was watching as they approached the Pokémon Center, then Smith released his Magenton.

"Now!"

The plan went off like clockwork. Once inside one of them went to work bolting the door while the others went to work looking for the Poké Balls that contained the fossil Pokémon, but there were a lot of Poké Balls in the room.

"Over here!"

The others ran over and saw the rows of Poké Balls with bones on them.

"Bingo."

It didn't take long for them to fill their bags.

"Are there any other Pokémon here that are worth stealing?"

"Tempting… but I think we better pass."

"Yeah, we've got what we came for; now let's get the hell out of here!"

When the gang of crooks made it out of the Pokémon Center and down the block they were all blasted by a bolt of electricity.

"What the fuck?"

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of whoever did that?"

"Uh… guys."

The men were standing face to face with a tall Charizard that had sparks flying all over, but that wasn't the only thing that shocked them… it's skin was black!

"A black Charizard!"

"Not just a black Charizard, one that can use electric attacks!"

"That thing must be worth a fortune!"

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's capture it!"

"Wait, something's not right… Charizard aren't even native to this region."

"Who cares? Let's just capture it.!"

They tried throwing their Poké Balls, but the Charizard just melted them with a Flamethrower.

"This just isn't your day boys…"

"Huh?"

They all turned around and saw a man dressed head to toe in body armor and a strange mask standing in the moonlight looking like he owned the world.

"Oh shit… We're in trouble… I've seen enough horror movies to know anyone running around in a mask isn't friendly."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I may be the last person you ever see alive, that all depends on you. Hand over the fossil Pokémon and I'll be on my way."

The thugs didn't seem to get the message, but before their hands even touched their Poké Balls the Charizard hit them all with another blast of electricity. The masked man was quick to pick up the Poké Balls they stole from the Pokémon Center as well as their own.

"Charizard… kill them."

In a matter of moments the cool night air was filled with the smell of melting flesh.


	2. Planning

It was late in Pallet Town. It was amazing how many people had come to town to compete or watch the Omega Games. For weeks Ash had competing against trainers from around the world with all different kinds of Pokémon, but tomorrow it would all be over. But that wasn't what concerned Brock as he made his way across town.

"Were you followed?"

"No. Ash is at home getting ready for the match tomorrow."

"Doesn't he ever sleep?"

"Not when there's a battle ahead of him. He is the regional champion after all. To him this isn't just about doing his part to aid in the restoration of Cerulean City and Professor Oak's lab; it's also a matter of pride."

"Like whatever."

"What about Misty."

"She's sound asleep."

"Let's hurry up and have this meeting already. I totally need my beauty sleep!"

It was only natural that the Cerulean sisters would be attending the tournament that was helping raise money to rebuild their gym and town, but that wasn't what concerned them this evening.

"Yesterday I saw three different nobody girls saying "We love you, Ash!" in the stands while he fought that trainer from… wherever." said Daisy.

"He's the biggest celebrity in Kanto; I think those girls were just fans. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Well what if a drop dead gorgeous one comes along and snatches him before Misty does? She'll be heartbroken!"

"How do we know she even likes him?" asked Lily.

"She's been staring at him the whole time he's been battling in the tournament."

"Well of course she did, we all want him to win."

"Well Brock said they went skinny dipping!" said Violet.

"Actually they just went swimming. She had her suit on and he had his trunks on the whole time."

"And whose idea was it?"

"It was hers."

"It doesn't take a genius to see that Misty totally wants him and vice versa. The other night when we were watching that movie he stared at her the whole time, and I don't think that was just because she had Pikachu on her lap."

"So then why haven't they gotten together themselves?"

"It's one of the stages of realizing you're in love, they're in denial. And it's up to us to bring them out of denial and into each other's arms!"

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"We'll think of something."

They just sat there thinking for about seventeen minutes.

"I've got it!" said Violet "What if we got him drunk! People will say anything when they're drunk, even confess their secret carnal desires!"

"You are evil!" said Lily "And that's not romantic at all."

"Not to mention Ash is only eighteen." said Brock "You could do some serious jail time for that."

"Oh… anyone else have a better idea?"

"I've got the solution to all our problems. First we wait until Christmas, and then we dress Pikachu in a cute little Santa outfit, then he comes in with mistletoe and puts it over their heads, and if they don't kiss we'll pressure them to!"

"That's a good idea and all… But I don't think we can wait until Christmas." said Daisy.

"What's your idea?"

"Okay, here's what we've got to do…"

When you're the best every jerk and his sister wants a crack at your title. Ash Ketchum took advantage of this and started the Omega Games to help pay for the restoration of Cerulean City and Professor Oak's lab. Over the past couple weeks he had competed trainers from around the world and had gone undefeated. Tomorrow he'd be fighting the last challenger. After going head to toe with so many different trainers and coming out on top he felt like he could tackle anything, but there was one problem; since the tournament began his Pokémon had been in and out of the Pokémon Center. He had to switch between members of his team on a daily basis. Today he had to check Charizard, Garchomp, and Feraligatr back into the Pokémon Center, so half the team was down.

"Pikachu, are you awake?"

"Pika."

"Good, now let's see what we're up against…"

Ash's final opponent was going to be someone named Felicity. Unlike most Pokémon trainers she never left her home to train her Pokémon, instead her wealthy father who owned a hotel chain paid trainers to come and battle her, even gym leaders. Ash remembered seeing her at the Indigo Conference, but she was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Kamilla.

"Wait… It says here she's from the Seafoam Islands… I think I've just found Kamilla's rich friend that got her that Master Ball she used to catch Mew."

Throughout the Indigo Conference Felicity had only used normal type Pokémon. Ash had enough experience with normal Pokémon to know they shouldn't be underestimated, he could still remember the battles he had with Whitney and May's father. Ash checked his Pokédex to review the toughest species of normal Pokémon. Not only did some normal type Pokémon have impressive stats, but they could also be taught a wide variety of attacks.

"Pikachu, let's see which of our friends are back to a hundred percent."

"Pika-pi-pikachu?"

"Don't worry. If it comes to that we'll just improvise."


	3. Ash vs Felicity

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the Omega Games! It's a beautiful day here at Omega Arena here in Pallet Town!"

When Ash told everyone his plan to start a tournament to help raise money for the restoration of Cerulean City and Professor Oak's lab, Mewtwo had been kind enough to use his psychic powers to build an arena outside of Pallet. The ring and the seats had only been made of smooth stones, but it would do.

"Hundreds of Pokémon trainers from around the world have come to compete, but now only two remain! All eyes are on Ash Ketchum, who has thus far lived up to his title as this year's regional champion of Kanto in the face of all this competition. Even more surprising is that he hasn't called on Omegamoah once."

"I think that would give him an unfair advantage." said the other commentator.

"True, but some trainers think they're up to the challenge. The other day Sinnoh Champion Cynthia said she was very interested in battling the beast."

"I'm not sure even a trainer of her caliber could take on Omegamoah and win… Unless it was the only Pokémon Ash was allowed to use and she was allowed to switch Pokémon whenever she wanted."

One of the reasons Ash started this tournament was to prove he didn't need Omegamoah to win a battle, even if he was arguably the most powerful Pokémon in the world. Then again he wasn't even sure he could control Omegamoah, so far he hadn't risked letting him out of the Omega Ball until Professor Oak and Gary found a safe environment where they could observe him.

"Ash's final opponent will be Felicity Fairchild, one of the few trainers to make it to the quarterfinals in the most recent Indigo Conference."

"But does she really have a chance? After all Ash was this year's champion."

"I'd say at this point it's anyone's game, after all she did just watch him battle a lot of different trainers. She's had time to prepare."

"Well enough jabbing out of us. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Remember, we'll be using the same rules as the Indigo Conference. Your Pokémon is eliminated from the match when you recall it, if it faints, falls asleep, is frozen, or if it refuses to obey you. Before we begin the two competitors will now shake hands."

"So you're Ash Ketchum, Kamilla's told me all about you."

"Felicity Fairchild… Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl… and a rich girl at that."

"I hope you brought Omegamoah."

"Won't need him."

"I beg to differ."

Ash and Felicity walked to their respective sides of the arena.

"You may begin!"

"Ladies first." said Ash.

"You're too kind."

Felicity pulled out a Luxury Ball. Ash had read that she kept all her Pokémon in Luxury Balls because she loved them that much.

"I choose you, Casey!"

"_Another trainer who nicknames her Pokémon."_

The Pokémon that emerged from Felicity's Luxury Ball was a Lopunny.

"_I should have expected something like that… But if there's one thing I've learned after all these years of being a Pokémon Trainer it's to never underestimate your opponent. Still… I think I'll save my best Pokémon for later."_

Ash reached for one of the Poké Balls on his belt.

"Ash has shown us some amazing Pokémon these past few weeks, which one will he use to battle Felicity's Lopunny?"

"I choose you!"

Everyone was surprised when they saw what emerged from Ash's Poké Ball.

"MU-MU-MU-MUUUK!"

"Muk?"

"Well this should to be interesting." said Brock.

"You're the best trainer in the region, and you're starting the match of with a lump of sludge?"

"My Muk's more than just a lump of sludge, as you shall soon see."

"Whatever… Casey, hit it with your Focus Blast!"

Felicity's Lopunny put her hands together and formed a bright blue ball of energy and then fired it.

"Muk, minimize!"

Muk flattened itself out on the arena's floor and dodged the attack.

"How quickly we forget folks! Ash's Muk can reshape his body to suit his needs!"

"Then we'll just have to aim at it from above. Casey, leap up and hit him with your Shadow Ball!"

Felicity's Lopunny fired all kinds of attacks from above, but Muk just slithered around the arena to dodge them.

"Casey, Bounce!"

Lopunny bounced into the air and came down on Muk, but the attack didn't do much damage, the only thing Lopunny had succeeded in doing was getting itself stuck in Muk's body.

"Now's your chance Muk, use your Poison Gas!"

"MUUUUK!"

Muk burped a sickly colored gas from his mouth. Lopunny stumbled to the ground.

"PEE-YEW! Ladies and gentlemen it looks like Felicity's Lopunny is out of it, and who can blame it, Muk is one of the worst smelling Pokémon in the world."

"Muk, finish it with your Gunk Shot!"

"MUUUUK!"

Muk shot huge torrent of gooey slime from his mouth that buried Felicity's Lopunny, somehow it managed to break out, but it was clear that it had used up its energy.

"Lopunny is unable to battle!" cried the ref "Muk is the winner!"

"No ball of sludge hurts one of my babies and gets away with it! I choose you, Selina!"

The Pokémon that emerged from Felicity's next Luxury Ball was a Delcatty.

"Another of these cutie Pokémon?" asked Ash.

"Selina, use Assist!"

When a Pokémon used Assist is randomly used a move known by one other Pokémon in the trainer's party. Ash was really surprised when the attack Felicity's Delcatty used was Outrage.

"Outrage? But that's a dragon attack!"

Delcatty continued to fire huge blasts of energy at Muk until he fainted.

"Muk is unable to battle! Delcatty is the winner!"

"Err… I'll admit that little maneuver took me by surprise… But let's see if your precious kitty can handle this."

Ash pulled out another Poké Ball from his belt.

"I choose you, Kingler!"

"Ko-ki! Ko-ki! Ko-ki!"

"A water Pokémon? Big mistake." said Felicity "Selina, attack with Thunderbolt!"

But Felicity's Delcatty just stumbled around the ring dizzily.

"Selina?"

"Oh no! Ladies and gentlemen it looks like the fatigue from using Outrage has left Delcatty confused!"

"Now's our chance! Kingler, use your Crabhammer!"

Kingler charged over and smacked Felicity's Delcatty with its pincer.

"Now finish it with Guillotine!"

Kingler's pincer started radiating with a white aura, and then he picked up Delcatty and squeezed her with it. When he was done he tossed her aside.

"Delcatty is unable to battle! Kingler is the winner!"

"I should have expected this from the Kanto's regional champion."

"I expected more from someone who made it to the quarter finals."

"Don't worry… I'll give you more… I choose you, Clara!"

The Pokémon that came out of Felicity's next Luxury Ball was a Blissey.

"_Another one? Well something in her party was capable of learning Outrage… I'll stay on my guard."_

"Clara, use Egg Bomb!"

Felicity's Blissey started firing glowing eggs from its pouch that exploded once they hit the ground. Kingler did his best to dodge them, but the eggs kept coming.

"Kingler, use your Hyper Beam!"

Kingler raised his pincer and fired his Hyper Beam.

"Clara, Double Team!"

Blissey made multiple copies of itself and Kingler's attack hit the wrong one.

"Okay you overgrown lobster, watch the birdie! Clara, use your Flash attack!"

"He's a crab."

Blissey's body started to glow, and then it set off a blinding white light.

"Kingler, Crabhammer!"

But Kingler was so dazed that when he swung his pincer it was only in random directions.

"Now's your chance Clara, finish it with Giga Impact!"

Blissey charged at Kingler and covered her body with energy; she rammed into Kingler and sent him flying out of the ring.

"Kingler is unable to battle! Blissey is the winner!"

"If you ask me this battle could go either way!" cried one of the commentators.

"You're right about that! So far both trainers have lost two of their Pokémon, and neither is backing down. Will Ash Ketchum prove himself worthy of his title as regional champion, or has he finally met his match?!"

"Who do you think is going to win?" asked Lily.

"Ash is going to win!" said Misty

"Are you sure you're not just stuck on Ash?" asked Violet.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The announcers are right about one thing." said Ash "So far we have fought to a standstill… But that's all about to change… I choose you, Glalie!"

Glalie emerged from his Poké Ball looking ready for anything.

"And Ash's third Pokémon is Glalie, the face Pokémon! But can this cool little ball take down Felicity's Blissey?"

"The answer is he can and he will. Glalie, use your Dark Pulse!"

Glalie fired a beam of black and purple energy that struck Blissey dead-on.

"Keep it together Clara! Shatter that ice cube with your Focus Blast!"

Blissey put its hands together and created a glowing blue sphere of energy which it launched at Glalie.

"Glalie, Double Team!"

Glalie created copies of itself and evaded Blissey's attack.

"Copycat!" said Felicity.

"Glalie, use your Gyro Ball!"

Two light blue orbs appeared at the end of Glalie's horns and he began to spin around really fast, then it slammed into Blissey nearly knocking her out of the ring.

"It takes more than a couple cheap shots to take down my Clara! Use your Softboiled!"

Blissey used her Softboiled attack to heal herself.

"Now let's kick that soccer ball into the next town! Giga Impact!"

Blissey started charging at Glalie.

"Sorry Felicity, but you just walked right into a trap. Glalie, use your Sheer Cold!"

Glalie's body started glowing a light blue, and then he opened his mouth and fired a wave of light blue energy that froze Blissey in its tracks.

"Blissey is unable to battle! Glalie is the winner!"

"Half my babies have fallen… Guess it's time to send in the big guns." said Felicity reaching for another Luxury Ball "I choose Pooh!"

"Pooh?"

Unsurprisingly, Pooh was a fully grown Ursaring.

"Well it looks like she's finally done with the cutie Pokémon."

"I got him when he was just a cute little Teddiursa. Sure he's not so cute and little anymore, but I still love him!" said Felicity giving her Pokémon a hug.

"Are we going to battle or not?"

"Oh right… Pooh, use your Slash attack!"

Ursaring ran over and swiped Glalie with his claws, but the attack didn't seem to accomplish much of anything.

"What?"

"You'll have to do better than that."

"Fine… If I can't cut that ice cube of yours in half I'll just have to smash it! Pooh, use your Hammer Arm attack!"

Ursaring forearms began to glow and he prepared to smack Glalie.

"Glalie, use your Double Team!"

Glalie created multiple copies of himself and dodged Ursaring's attack. Ursaring tried its Hammer Arm, Focus Blast, and Focus Punch, but none found their mark.

"Glalie, finish it with Sheer Cold!"

Not knowing where the attack was coming from, Ursaring was frozen on the spot.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! Glalie is the winner!"

"Ladies and gentlemen it looks like Ash has taken control of the battle!"

"Felicity Fairchild is just two Pokémon away from defeat! And even if she defeats Glalie Ash will still have three Pokémon left!"

"YAHOO! GO ASH! LET'S WIN!"

"I didn't know you were a cheerleader Misty." said Daisy.

"Well I uh… We want him to win don't we?" she said blushing.

"That little snow cone of yours is really getting one my nerves… Well let's see if he can handle this! I choose Sheila!"

"KANGA-KANGAS-KHAN!"

"It looks like Felicity's fifth contender is the parent Pokémon Kangaskhan! This rare Pokémon is very protective of her young. If trained properly this Pokémon can be one heck of a mamma!"

"Let's see just how properly she has trained this Kangaskhan." said Ash "Glalie, use your…"

"WAIT!"

"What?"

Felicity got in the ring and walked up to her Kangaskhan, who pulled its baby out of her pouch and handed it to Felicity.

"Awww…"

"Oh."

"Don't worry Sheila; I'll take good care of her."

"_Kangaskhan wouldn't give her baby to someone unless it really trusted her. She must have quite the bond with it."_

"Okay, now we can battle." said Felicity once she was out of the ring.

"As I was saying… Glalie, use your Gyro Ball!"

Glalie began spinning around and flew toward Kangaskhan.

"Now we've got you! Sheila, use your Fire Punch!"

"Fire Punch?"

As soon as Glalie got too close Kangaskhan struck him with a Fire Punch that sent him flying.

"Glalie! Are you okay?"

"GLA-LIE!"

"I should've known it would take more than Fire Punch to take you out of commission. Now freeze that Kangaskhan with your Ice Beam!"

Glalie fired a powerful Ice Beam, but Felicity's Kangaskhan just jumped high into the air to dodge it.

"Sheila, hit him with your Dizzy Punch!"

While Kangaskhan was still in the air she held her arms out in a 'T' formation, started spinning around, and punched Glalie as she came down.

"Now finish him with Fire Blast!"

Kangaskhan opened its mouth and fired a star-shaped burst of fire that struck Glalie dead-on.

"Gla… lieee."

This time Glalie didn't have the strength to get back up.

"Glalie is unable to battle! Kangaskhan is the winner!"

"Not going down without a fight eh? But you're still going down. I choose Torterra!"

Torterra appeared with a mighty roar.

"Why did he choose Torterra? That Kangaskhan used fire attacks, and last I checked grass Pokémon were totally weak against fire attacks."

"True, but Torterra is also half ground, which gives it some immunity to fire attacks." said Brock.

"See sis, he knows what he's doing." said Misty.

"Now she's defending him." whispered Daisy "That's a very good sign."

"Torterra, use your Leaf Storm!"

The leaves on the tree on Torterra's back started to glow, and then it released a cyclone of wind and glowing light green leaves that flew at Kangaskhan like a hailstorm of bullets. But Kangaskhan launched another Fire Blast that burned all the leaves before they hit.

"Err… Try a Giga Drain!"

Torterra fired three beams of energy from the mountains on its back.

"Sheila, Protect!"

Kangaskhan shielded itself with an energy barrier that deflected Torterra's attack.

"Now counter with Ice Beam!"

"Ice Beam?"

Kangaskhan opened its mouth and fired a powerful Ice Beam attack, but luckily Torterra was quick enough to dodge it.

"Well I must say I'm impressed. How you get your Torterra to move that fast?"

"He's very determined." replied Ash.

"I see… But sometimes determination just isn't enough, now is it?"

"_Torterra hates ice attacks… But if we get close enough maybe Kangaskhan won't be able to use its Ice Beam."_

It was risky but it was the only way.

"Torterra, use your Wood Hammer!"

Torterra's body started to glow a bright green as it charged at Kangaskhan.

"Now Sheila! Drop him with an Ice Punch!"

"Oh no!"

Kangaskhan punched Torterra and he was frozen on the spot.

"Torterra is unable to battle! Kangaskhan is the winner!"

"Ladies and gentlemen it looks like we may have spoken too soon! Just like that Felicity has made a comeback! Now both trainers are down to just two Pokémon each!"

"I'll still beat her… I choose Typhlosion!"

As Typhlosion roared the flames on his back began dance violently.

"A Typhlosion? Ice and fire attacks are going to be useless against that…" said Felicity " Sheila, use your Sucker Punch!"

"Typhlosion, Flame Wheel!"

Over the next couple minutes Typhlosion and Kangaskhan wrestled for control of the fight.

"Sheila, use your Thunderbolt!"

"Typhlosion, use your Solar Beam!"

For awhile Typhlosion and Kangaskhan fought on even ground, but Typhlosion was fresh where Kangaskhan had been fighting Glalie and Torterra.

"We need to finish this now. Sheila, use your Outrage!"

"KANGA-KANGAS-KHAN!"

"So this is where that Delcatty's Outrage came from."

Kangaskhan eyes and body began to glow, and then it fired three huge bursts of energy from its mouth. The first two missed but the third one found its mark.

"Typhlosion! Are you okay?"

If Typhlosion was hurt he wasn't showing it, because he was quickly back on his feet. The fatigue of using Outrage had left Kangaskhan confused, so Ash knew it was now or never.

"Typhlosion, finish it off with Eruption!"

"Eruption? That almost sounds sexual." said Violet.

"Okay gross, I'm just gonna keep watching the battle and try to forget you just said that." said Misty.

The flames on Typhlosion's back began to skyrocket, then he fired a huge blast of fire at Kangaskhan. It fell to the ground with bright burn marks all over its body."

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner!"

"It looks like Felicity is down to her last Pokémon, but can she pull a winner out of her hat?"

"I'll admit you're tough Ash Ketchum, and kind of hot, but let's see how well you do against my most powerful Pokémon… I choose you, Bruce!"

"Bruce?"

The Pokémon that appeared in the arena was a huge Exploud.

"Exploud?"

"Yes. He was my first Pokémon; I got him when he was just a little Whismur. He was so cute and cuddly, but now that he's all grown up he's the strongest Pokémon on my team."

"I see… But is he strong enough to take on my two remaining Pokémon?"

"You'll see… Exploud, use your Earthquake!"

Exploud started sucking in air from all over his body, and then when he was done he let out an earsplitting roar and created a huge shockwave that shook the earth. The attack did a lot of damage to the ring.

"Get up Typhlosion! Use your Hyper Beam!"

"Bruce, counter with your Hyper Beam!"

When the two attacks hit there was a huge explosion that shook the whole area.

"It looks like Felicity wants to end the Omega Games with a bang!"

"Bruce, use your Supersonic!"

Exploud let out a high pitched screech that caused Typhlosion to roll around and cover his ears.

"Now finish it with Hyper Voice!"

Exploud sucked in air through the holes in its body, then as it opened his mouth and let out another loud cry it fired a beam filled with blue circles that blasted Typhlosion out of the ring.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Exploud is the winner!"

"One all… this is the decider… Well old buddy, I guess it's all up to you."

"Pika-pi-pikachu!"

"I know… Just the way you like it."

Pikachu rushed into the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is it! The final battle of the Omega Games! Pikachu vs. Exploud! Who will claim victory?"

A great number of people in the stands started cheering for Pikachu, including Misty and her sisters.

"Bruce, use your Earthquake!"

Pikachu waited until Exploud used his attack, then he leapt into the air to dodge the shockwave.

"Now hit it with your Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's attack found its mark, but it was clear that Exploud still had plenty of energy left in it.

"Bruce, use your Flamethrower!"

Exploud opened its mouth and started shooting streams of fire at Pikachu, but the little guy was able to dodge them using his agility.

"Pikachu! Execute emergency plan G!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu's eyes started to glow, but nothing seemed to happen. After a couple seconds Pikachu ran to the very edge of the ring so it was out of range of Exploud's attacks.

"Get after him!"

When Exploud tried to move towards Pikachu he tripped and fell flat on his face. Felicity saw that there was a large strand of grass sticking out of one of the ruined parts of the ring and it was wrapped around Exploud's leg.

"I knew that trick would come in handy."

Ash had originally taught Pikachu Grass Knot so he could fight against ground type Pokémon, but it had worked just as well here."

"Now hit him with an Iron Tail!"

"Pika-chu!"

As Pikachu jumped into the air his tail began to glow, and then as he descended he smacked Exploud in the face with it. For a moment it looked like Pikachu had won, but then Exploud jumped up and blasted Pikachu with its Hyper Voice attack.

"Pikachu!"

"Pi… ka… chu… Pika-chu!"

As always Pikachu refused to stay down.

"That's the spirit! Now use your Volt Tackle!"

"Pika-chu!"

Pikachu covered his body with electricity and charged at Exploud, who fired another Flamethrower attack, but much to everyone's surprise Pikachu charged right through it and rammed into him. Exploud was sent flying.

"And now for the grand finale! Pikachu, you know what to do."

Pikachu's eyes and tail started to glow a bright blue, then he started swinging his tail in seemingly random directions. His Rain Dance attack created huge storm clouds in the sky above. When he was done Pikachu started charging energy for his attack.

"Pikachu, Thunder!"

"Pi-ka-CHU!"

Pikachu fired a huge burst of electricity up into the clouds, then an even bigger bolt of lightning came falling out of the sky and struck Exploud. When it was all over it was clear he wasn't getting up.

"Exploud is unable to battle! The victory goes to Ash and Pikachu!"

The whole arena broke into applause.

"Let's hear it for him folks! Ash Ketchum and his Pokémon are still undefeated! And just wait till you see the check for the donation money!"

Pikachu charged over to Ash who caught him in his arms.

"Pika!"

"I knew I could count on you buddy, and so could the people of Cerulean City."


	4. The Deal

Months had passed since the end of the Omega Games. Cerulean City and Professor Oak's lab had been rebuilt, all the damage that Omegamoah had done had been rebuilt, any Rockets that hadn't been picked up by the G-Men had been forced to go underground, Ash Ketchum was the biggest hero in Kanto, and Giovanni didn't like it… not one bit. After Ash defeated him at his own base he had been taken into custody by the Pokémon G-Men. Giovanni's cell was roomier than most, and it had all the comforts of home, but a very nice prison cell was still a prison cell, and Giovanni couldn't get his revenge from inside it; so tonight he had bribed all the guards to simply look the other way for one hour after lights out, promising that none of the prisoners would be let loose and no one would be hurt. Giovanni sat there waiting patiently for about fifteen minutes until he heard someone come in. He turned around and saw a man dressed head to toe in dark colored body armor and a strange mask.

"Are you him?"

The man reached into his armor and pulled out a Poké Ball. The Pokémon that came out of it was a fierce looking Black Charizard.

"Does he answer your question? Anyone who could bribe all the guards in this shit hole certainly wouldn't need a man of my talents to waste his time breaking you out of it, so tell me… what do you want?"

Giovanni turned on the TV.

"We're coming to you live from the opening of New Cerulean, where Ash Ketchum has just walked off stage. Thanks to him the threat of Omegamoah is over and the Floral Lagoon city has risen from the ashes as an even better city than it was before!"

Giovanni turned the TV off.

"I was one of the most feared men in the world, but that little brat beat me in a single Pokémon battle and now I'm a laughing stock imprisoned in this urine soaked hell hole."

"You haven't answered my question. What do you want?"

He never used Giovanni's name, like it didn't even matter, but Giovanni was willing to overlook it for now.

"What do I want? What do I want? I'll tell you what I want! I want that kid's head on a pike! I want to cut him into hundreds of little pieces and mail him to every country in the world! I want to eat his heart and break my foot off in his ass! I want to barbeque his sorry carcass and shoot his ashes into the sun! But that would be stupid… because killing him would only make him a fucking martyr. Besides, I can't do this from inside this damn jail cell. That's where you come in… I don't want you to kill him… I want you to ruin this kid; I want you to break him. I want nothing less than the complete, total, and utter ruination of Ash Ketchum. I want the whole world to see him for the worthless sack of shit that he really is! And while you're at it, bring me my damn Pokémon back. Can you do that?"

For a long moment he just stared there looking like his mind was a thousand miles away.

"Well?"

"Yes, I can do that… but it's going to cost you."

Giovanni handed him a suitcase from inside his cell.

"Consider this a down payment. You get the second half when you bring me back Omegamoah and have the whole world laughing at Ash Ketchum."

He opened the suitcase and looked at what was inside. He took a few minutes to make sure the money was real and wasn't traceable.

"Consider it done…"

After leaving Giovanni he made his way back to his secret base. For months he had just been sitting there bored waiting for another job, but he never expected his next assignment would be one as interesting as this. The others would be very pleased. When he finally came to the secret door he unlocked the keypad and typed in the secret six digit code. After the retina scan the door finally opened. As he made his way through the hall he could hear the kids goofing off.

"_And they each expect to become my successor with that attitude."_

When he entered the room they all fell silent.

"It's the boss…"

"Hello sir. What news do you bring?"

"Giovanni has hired me to bring Ash Ketchum down hard… I could just do the job myself… but why should I have all the fun?"


	5. The New Cerulean Gym

"There is no way he's going to go for this." said Misty.

"We can be very persuasive." replied Lily.

"Let's be glad he didn't decide to go off on another one of his crazy adventures."

"According to Mrs. Ketchum he's been trying to take it easy since the Omega Games. Some of his Pokémon were in the Pokémon Center for a month after that." said Brock.

"Why? What was wrong with them?"

"Fatigue and exhaustion. They had to fight about five trainers a day since tournament began. Now that they're finally out they've been taking it slow."

"So there's no reason he shouldn't kill some time with us." said Violet.

"I still don't think he's going to go for it."

"Can you think of anyone else you'd like to share the spotlight with?" asked Daisy.

"Here he comes!"

"Wow… This place is a lot bigger than I remember."

When the Cerulean City Gym was being rebuilt Misty and her sisters had obviously used the opportunity to make a few improvements. As Ash flew overhead the building looked five times bigger than it used to be.

"Are you feeling okay Charizard?"

Charizard had suffered his fair share of injuries during the Omega Games. For about three weeks he couldn't even get his body off the ground. After that he was able to fly again, but only for about ten minutes at a time before the fatigue got to him, but now that he was carrying Ash and Pikachu on his back for a full half hour and roaring with approval Ash knew he was back to hundred percent.

"Okay then, take us down."

Charizard landed outside the gym's main entrance. Ash couldn't wait to see what the girls had done with the place.

"What took you so long? Signing autographs or something?" asked Misty.

"Actually I had to escape a mob of crazy girls that wanted to auction my clothes off on the internet."

"What?"

"It's a joke. I was getting an update for my Pokédex from Professor Oak. Check this out."

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and showed them the new data page.

"Omegamoah: The Juggernaut Pokémon. This Pokémon was created with the innate ability to adapt to whatever it fights, making it perhaps the most powerful species of Pokémon in the world. Its Death Beam attack is powerful enough to destroy an entire city. The only known existing member of its species was captured by Ash Ketchum."

"Nice."

"Where do you keep him anyway?"

"I'm afraid that information is classified."

"And so is what we're about to show you… at least until the grand opening."

"I didn't know you decided to get ambitious when you had this place rebuilt."

"Thanks to you there was more than enough money to rebuild the city, and besides, we had a little nest egg stored."

"If you thought the outside was impressive, then wait till you see the pool." said Misty.

"Holy cow!"

To say the pool was big would be an understatement. It looked like it was maybe twice the length and width of an Olympic pool and Ash had no idea how deep it was. It looked like the girls had already added the artificial scenery for their shows; each side of the pool even had its own waterfall.

"Awhile ago some jerks thought the pool was like too small for the Pokémon. So we saved up some money to make it bigger."

"I'll say…"

"As I'm sure Misty's already told you, for our grand opening we plan to do a musical."

"If it's anything like your other shows you can count on me being here."

"Uh… There's just one little snag. Doing a musical is a bit different than doing a ballet."

"I know, in a musical everyone sings."

"That's not the only difference. In a musical you can't have a girl play a boy. We're having a little trouble trying to find someone to play the prince…"

"And?"

"And, we were wondering if you could help us with that problem."

"What exactly could I do to help?"

"You could be the prince you silly boy!"

_"I knew this wasn't going to work." _thought Misty.

"Uh… I'm flattered that you'd even consider someone like me… but I can't sing." said Ash.

"Can't, or never learned?"

"When I was a kid I spent all my time thinking about becoming a Pokémon trainer, not a Broadway star."

"That's okay, we can teach you."

"I can't dance either."

"There's plenty of time for you to learn that too. I mean like what are you doing over the next couple weeks? Nothing right?"

"But won't every think it's silly that the regional Pokémon champion is doing this sort of thing?"

"No it'll just add to your mystique. Picture it… Ash Ketchum, he can sing, he can dance, he can train the best Pokémon in the league! You'll be a triple threat! And it won't be silly; Brock's already agreed to be the villain."

"I'm Captain Black-Eye the pirate."

"Nobody thinks it's silly that he's doing it."

That was probably because Brock was only a gym leader and not the regional champion, but Ash could tell he wasn't going to win this argument.

"Well?"

Ash took a look at Pikachu, who gave an approving nod.

"I might be able to pencil it in somewhere."


	6. The Game

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!"

"Bakey?" asked Ash.

"Can you think of a better word that rhymes with wakey?"

"I'm pretty sure wakey is not a word."

"Just get up. We've got stuff to do."

Ever since Ash agreed to help Misty and her sisters put on their little show he had spent his days trying to learn how to sing and dance really quickly. He would be playing the handsome but lonely prince that would fall in love with the youngest of the four mermaid sisters. Their choreographer/musical director was some dark haired girl named Simmona Hood. Since Ash had never learned to sing of dance before their relationship got off on the wrong foot.

"You are the worst singer in the world! That was absolutely pathetic! I don't get paid enough for this."

Ash had wondered why the girls had chosen someone who was so verbally abusive to help make the musical happen.

"Well… my sisters had another big idea to help attract an audience other than just getting the regional champion to play the prince."

Misty showed him a page of the script.

_The four mermaid sisters lived happily with the ocean's Pokémon, among which was a rare baby Lugia._

"Baby Lugia?"

"My sisters figure that having a rare Pokémon like that in this show would attract a huge crowd."

"So where did you get a baby Lugia?"

"We didn't, Simmona has one."

"You're telling me the daughter of Satan over there has a baby Lugia?"

"She's only like that when it comes to business. According to her she found the poor thing struggling for life out in the ocean one day and saved him… Apparently some poachers had been trying to catch it."

"So… Why isn't there a baby Lugia in my script?

"She loves it more than anything in the world. She doesn't want everyone to know about it right now."

"Alright you two, coffee break's over!"

It took awhile before they could find a prince costume that didn't make Ash look like a pansy. But thankfully Ash wasn't the only person who was messing up. For a while Lily couldn't even pronounce her mermaid's name, and during one of the rehearsals Brock had forgotten his line completely.

"Avast ye… uh… what's the line?"

Some of the other pirates broke their props, Violet complained about the color of her mermaid's tail, and when Ash and Brock were rehearsing the sword fight they often ended up either hitting each other in the fingers or right in the head. But most of these problems were easily solved and helped give everyone a few laughs when they needed them most. But one day they came to a problem that Ash knew wasn't going to be easy to get around.

"Okay Ash." said Daisy "In this scene after the big fight Misty magically turns from mermaid to human. The two of you are overjoyed that you can finally be together… and then you give her a big kiss."

"What?" exclaimed Misty.

"Excuse me?"

"The prince and the mermaid are together at last and they kiss."

"That's not in the script." said Misty.

"There's been another rewrite." said Violet "Simmona says when you do a musical someone has to kiss, it's like a rule"

"Couldn't we just hug or something?"

"No you **have** to kiss. Any objections Ash?"

Ash couldn't find the right words to say, and his face was turning pink.

"Uh…"

"Oh come on you two. It's just a play."

"Ugh… okay." said Misty.

Ash and Misty took their places.

"Okay, the Prince and the mermaid kiss, and… action!"

"Here we go…" whispered Daisy to her sisters.

"I'm so happy." said Misty in character "Now we can be together… forever."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

Ash and Misty both came real close, but then they both hesitated.

"Well… What are you waiting for?" asked Simmona.

"Well… you know… this is kind of awkward."

"We're all adults here." said Daisy.

"You know you want to…" said Violet.

"Excuse me…"

"Nothing!"

Suddenly the buzzer went off.

"Coffee break! Everyone take ten!"

"Don't worry… they can't put this off forever."

"Talk about saved by the bell." said Ash.

"Pi-ka-pi-ka-pikachu!"

"Sue me I've never kissed a girl before."

"Pi-pi-pi-pikachu."

"Melody from Shamuti Island? That was like a forever ago, and she kissed me on the cheek, not the same thing."

"Pika-pika-chu-chu pika-pi."

This time Pikachu was wearing an amused grin on his face.

"Oh come on… not you too."

"Pika-chu!"

"Oh great… first my mother and now this."

Ash knew from the beginning that Pikachu liked Misty, but this was one of those times that made him wonder what thoughts were going through his little electric friend's head.

"Ash, this just came in the mail for you."

Ash was handed a thick envelope with no return address on it. He opened it and found a disc inside.

"What do you think it is?"

"Only one way to find out."

Once the girls guided Ash to the nearest player he put the disk in.

"Let's hope it isn't some admirer of his trying to get him with a video of herself in the shower." said Violet.

"Where do you get this shit?" asked Lily.

"Don't you watch TV?"

The person that appeared on the screen wasn't an admirer, but it didn't given anyone in the room any relief. It was a man wearing a strange dark mask.

"Hello Ash…" he said in a deep maniacal voice "I assume you've heard of me… After all I'm probably the only person in Kanto that's more famous than you… but in case you haven't, the media calls me the man with the Black Charizard."

"The who?"

"Don't you watch the news?"

"I'm a eighteen year old Pokémon trainer."

"He's just some scumbag bounty hunter who'll do anything for the right price."

"So why's he sending Ash a video of himself?" asked Misty.

"You've made yourself quite a few enemies Ash. One of them wants to see you fall and fall hard… but as for me… I want to play a game."

"What is this? A horror movie?"

"One of your enemies craves vengeance… I crave a challenge. The papers say you're the best Pokémon trainer in Kanto since you won the Indigo Conference and your little Omega Games… but not all the best Pokémon trainers participate in petty contests. I trust you've heard of underground Pokémon battles, and then there are people like me… I've been paid a tremendous amount of money to bring you down, but I don't know if it's really worth my time. I don't know if you're an opponent worth adding to my reputation… They may call you the master of Omegamoah, but even a blind man can see that you fear that Pokémon as much as everyone else, and I didn't get my reputation by beating every slack jawed idiot and rich pansy who thought he could take on the man with the Black Charizard. But I'm going to give you a chance to really prove yourself to the people of Kanto and to me… Starting tonight you will face four opponents that I've arranged for you. If you manage to defeat them all… I'll deem you a worthy adversary and battle you myself. In case you haven't already guessed it I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. I'd tell you when the first trainer is coming but why spoil the surprise? Good luck… you may need it."


	7. Too Easy

After the video had stopped playing the first thing Ash and his friends did was call the police. Since the first show was going to be in a week the rest of the day was spent rehearsing as planned. It was all Ash could take to worry about whoever the man with the Black Charizard was sending to battle him, while all the while being verbally abused by Simmona.

"You sing like a dying Pidgey! You dance like a mentally disabled Hitmontop!"

Ash so glad when the day was finally over.

"Like what the heck are underground Pokémon battles?" asked Daisy.

"Pokémon battles where people bet on which trainer they think is going to win." said Brock "When people bet on you they often get really mad when you lose. If someone loses a tremendous amount of money because you or your Pokémon makes a fatal mistake your often lucky if you only wake up in the hospital. Some trainers go to extreme measures to help their Pokémon win."

"What kind of extreme measures?"

"Let's just say they're very abusive, and it's one of the reason those kinds of Pokémon battles are illegal. Unfortunately some people just don't seem to care."

"So what do we know about this man with the Black Charizard?" asked Ash.

"No one knows his real name or what he looks like under that mask, so he could be anyone… Then again maybe not."

"Why's that?"

"Because not just anyone can go head to toe with a fully grown Tyranitar with only their bare hands and manage to beat the creature into submission."

"Whoa! He actually did that?" asked Violet.

"He's as tough as the Pokémon he keeps in his party, which are fiercely obedient to him. If he tells them to kill someone they'll do it without a second thought. I've also heard that he's done something to them that allows them learn attacks they normally aren't capable of learning. I heard rumors that he's taught his Charizard how to use electric attacks."

"How is that possible?"

"Ask him that."

"Why would you want to teach a Charizard electric attack anyway?" asked Lily.

"Because the only attack a Charizard can learn to help it combat water Pokémon is Solar Beam, and that attack takes time to charge. It'd be a lot quicker to just blast it with an electric attack. Too bad Charizard can't learn any."

"You're so smart."

"I didn't become regional champion by staring at a TV all day."

"Too bad you can't sing or dance as well as you train Pokémon."

After Simmona's last comment Ash went to his room so he could practice. As much as he hated to admit it Simmona was right.

"Having trouble?"

Ash turned around and saw Misty.

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore? And to answer your question yes and all her negative feedback isn't helping."

"She's just pushing you to be better."

"And yet it doesn't seem to be working."

"Here, let me show you how it's done."

Mermaids were supposed to have the power to enchant men with their singing, so Misty and her sisters were under pressure to sing well, but mostly Misty since she was playing the story's female protagonist. In the scene where the prince and the youngest mermaid first meet he is drawn by the sound of her singing. Ash didn't even need to act for that scene because he really was impressed by how well Misty sung.

"Are you sure you aren't a real mermaid?" asked Ash "That was really good."

"If I were a real mermaid I wouldn't be sitting here next to you."

"Oh right… I forgot."

In the story the prince and the mermaid couldn't be together because she was a mermaid and he was human. Ash couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in love with someone who couldn't set a foot, or in this case a flipper, on dry land. Fortunately for the prince the mermaid magically turns into a human after the big battle. Daisy explanation was that true love transforms everyone, and it was a story about mythological creatures anyway so it didn't have to be logical.

"I guess I should be glad you're not a mermaid… otherwise I wouldn't have had the pleasure of having you as a traveling companion."

"Did you really enjoy my company that much?" asked Misty half laughing.

Ash blushed, that last statement had just slipped out, but he didn't get a chance to answer Misty's question because the lights began to flicker violently.

"What the heck?"

It was happening all over the building. Instead of going out the flickering lights were giving off sparks.

"This isn't good."

Ash and the others raced to the circuit breaker box, but it didn't do any good.

"Wait a minute… There's something weird about the way these lights are flickering." said Brock.

"What do you mean?"

"Wait… That's it! It's morse code!"

"What does it say?"

"It says, come… outside... you…."

"What?"

"You don't want to know what it says."

They ran outside and found someone waiting for them. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black leather vest. He wore a pair of sunglasses and had a pendant around his neck that was shaped like a lightning bolt. His blonde hair stood up wildly.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"The name is Bolt, and the big man has sent me here on a mission to kick your ass."

"Then you work for the Man with the Black Charizard."

"Yeah… And when I'm finished kicking six kinds of hell out of your Pokémon, the big man will share all his secrets about how to make my Pokémon unbeatable."

"You say that like you've already beaten me."

"My Pokémon and I compete in the underground, where the real action is. Last I checked you're just a pansy who became famous because he won some tournaments where your final opponents were both bitches. Women belong in bed, and not in the arena."

"Ash, do us all a favor and kick this guy's ass." said Misty

"With pleasure."

For a moment Ash and Bolt just stared at each other. He had insulted two of the toughest Pokémon trainers Ash had ever met, and Kamilla had been one of the trainers who helped him capture Omegamoah. Nobody talked about his friends that way.

"Are you ready to die Thunder?"

"Thunder?"

"Yeah, thunder always comes after lightning!" said Bolt reaching for his first Poké Ball "Go Magnezone!"

Bolt's Magnezone appeared in a bright flash of white light.

"An electric Pokémon. I could've guessed that… Well I've got just the Pokémon to deal with it."

Ash was glad that all his best Pokémon had finally healed from the Omega Games and as Nurse Joy had said, "Were ready to take on the world."

"Alright you underground scum… You talk the talk, but let's see if you can walk the walk… I choose Garchomp!"

"GAAARR!"

"HA! That lizard of yours won't do shit against me! I'll send it straight to the chair! Magnezone, **Zap Canon**!"

Magnezone fired a powerful electric blast, but Garchomp wasn't hurt at all.

"WHAT!"

"Garchomp, **Fire Blast**!"

Garchomp launched a star shaped burst of fire that struck Magnezone dead –on. The half electric half steel Pokémon began to glow with the heat.

"Looks like big bad punk forgot that Garchomp is a ground Pokémon, and therefore unaffected by electric attacks."

"Err… That's not a problem! We'll just improvise! Magnezone, use your **Magnet Bomb**!"

A shining silver orb appeared in front of Magnezone's body.

"Garchomp, **Dig**!"

Before Magnezone could launch its attack Garchomp burrowed underground to dodge it. A few moments later Garchomp sprang out of the ground right in front of Magnezone.

"Garchomp, finish it with another **Fire Blast**!"

Garchomp was at point blank when he blasted Magnezone with his next attack. It collapsed to the ground badly burned.

"Minor setback." said Bolt "I've encountered this problem before and have just the Pokémon to deal with it! Go Electivire!"

"Eleec-tiviiire!"

Garchomp still had the type advantage, but Ash knew from experience that Electivire was capable of learning a wide variety of attacks.

"He's probably planning to freeze Garchomp with Ice Punch… I'm not falling for that again. Garchomp, keep your distance!"

"Electivire, use your **Quick Attack**!"

Electivire started to charge.

"Now hit it with your Ice Punch!"

"Garchomp, **Dig**!"

Garchomp had successfully gone underground just as Electivire reached him.

"**Flamethrower**, attack pattern zeta!"

Several streams of fire shot out of the ground in what appeared to be random directions, then Garchomp sprang out of the ground behind Electivire.

"**Dragon Rush**!"

Garchomp's body started glowing a light blue color, and then he rushed at Electivire and slammed into him.

"Now finish it with **Draco Meteor**!"

Garchomp created a ball of orange energy in his mouth, which was fired into the air and exploded, releasing many orbs that rained down and pummeled Electivire.

As much as Bolt hated to admit it, Ash had just beaten his best Pokémon. He didn't know which of his Pokémon to use next.

"Wait… Maybe this one! Go Electrode!"

"Elec-troooode!"

Ash hadn't encountered one of these Pokémon in a long time, but he had seen it enough times that he knew you didn't want to be around when it blew up.

"Electrode, Rollout!"

Electrode started rolling toward Garchomp. Bolt waited until he was right on top of him before making his next move.

"**Explosion**!"

The force of the blast knocked everyone off their feet. When the light from the explosion faded Garchomp was nowhere to be seen at first, then he jumped out of the ground unharmed.

"What?"

"Wow! That lizard of his is fast!" said Violet.

Bolt's next three Pokémon were Luxray, Manetric, and a Raichu; none of which were a match for Garchomp.

"I don't believe it! He beat me!"

"Beat you? This was what we call in the Pokémon world, a total ass kicking." said Misty.

"That was too easy." said Ash.

Moments later the police arrived and surrounded Bolt.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!"

No one noticed the small camera hidden in a nearby tree. The whole match had been seen by the other three.

"I knew that masturbating asshole wasn't up to much."

"That's why we let him fight first."

"Let's rock, paper, scissors to see who goes next."


	8. Heart of Ice

Ash and they others stayed awake until they heard from Officer Jenny, but if Bolt knew anything then he wasn't talking.

"I guess Ash will just have to fight the man with the Black Charizard's goons."

"You can forget about battles. We need to get the ready for the musical! Back to work everyone!"

"Simmona, its eleven forty-five at night."

"Oh right… well… I'll see you all in the morning."

That night Ash dreamt that he and Misty were having a picnic on the beach, and she was dressed in her mermaid outfit. When they were done eating they just sat there in the sun. Eventually she started singing, and it was absolutely hypnotic, but her body was a lot more alluring than just her voice. Her long red hair sparkled in the sunlight and her skin was glowing.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it."

"I swear… you could be a real mermaid."

"I'll bet I look even more convincing in the water… Care to join me?"

"But… aren't we not supposed to wait an hour to go swimming after we eat."

"I don't care… Besides… that's not the only rule I feel like breaking."

"Misty! What are you doing?"

"You know real mermaids don't really wear these things…" said Misty lowering the straps on her bikini "They just draw them with them in children's fairy tales. And don't think I haven't caught you looking at my breasts every chance you've gotten over the years… I know you want it… You helped rebuild my hometown, now it's time for your reward…"

"UP AND AT EM! YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!"

Ash woke up to find Simmona yelling at him with her megaphone.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You sound like a washing machine full of nails and scrap metal! No, that's a bad analogy. Washing machines can clean things, you can't even clean your shit performance!"

Ash and the others were going to begin rehearsing right after breakfast, but there was one little problem.

"Sweet mother of all things scared! What the heck happened here?"

The whole pool was frozen solid, and in the center there was a huge ice crystal.

"I thought that might get your attention."

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

At that instant the ice crystal shattered, revealing a girl who looked no older than twenty. She was dressed in a one-piece sleeveless black outfit that was decorated all over with diamonds. Her long silver hair stretched all the way to her hips and her blue eyes looked even colder than the ice she was standing on, the only thing that could match the coldness of her eyes was her voice.

"I am Crystal, and I'll be your second opponent Ash Ketchum."

"Hey, isn't she that girl who uses her Pokémon to rob jewelry stores?" asked Lily.

"Just the diamonds." said Crystal "There are only two things in this cruel world that can please me, ice Pokémon and diamonds. Unlike men diamonds will never lie to me or leave me, and they give me wealth instead of taking it away."

"People like you make me sick! Pokémon aren't just tools for making money, much less burglary!" said Misty. "Tell her Brock! Brock?"

But Brock just stood there hypnotized.

"Wow… You can steal my diamonds anytime…"

"Fuck off and die."

"Whoa… I know she's supposed to be an ice Pokémon trainer, but Brock just got burned."

"Are we going to fight or not?"

"As much as I hate to agree with the bad guy… or bad girl in this case… let's get this show on the road."

"I understand that you gave Bolt a well deserved beating last night… You won't find me such an easy opponent."

"We shall soon see… Ladies first."

"It will be my pleasure. I choose Weavile!"

Even Crystal's Poké Balls were covered with diamonds.

"This is going to be a piece of cake. I choose Typhlosion!"

Typhlosion appeared with a mighty roar.

"A fire type… how predictable. Weavile, attack it with your **Shadow Ball**!"

Typhlosion took the hit, but it didn't even faze him.

"Typhlosion, **Flamethrower**!"

Typhlosion's attack didn't make contact because Weavile began dancing around the frozen pool like a ballerina. Crystal waited until Weavile got close enough to Typhlosion before giving her another order.

"Now hit him with your **Night Slash!**"

When Typhlosion was hit he let out a roar of pain, but it was brief and it only seemed to get him angry.

"Now Typhlosion, **Focus Punch**!"

Typhlosion's fist started to glow, then he hit Weavile and sent her flying.

"It'll take more than one cheap shot to win this battle! Weavile, **Dark Pulse**!"

Weavile held out her hands and fired a beam of purple circles.

"Typhlosion, **Flamethrower**!"

When the two attacks first collided it looked like a stalemate, but then Typhlosion's fire swallowed Weavile's attack and kept going until it found its target. Weavile fell to the ground unconscious.

If Crystal felt any emotion when her Pokémon fainted she wasn't showing it.

"I'll bet you think you're so hot, well this will cool you down… I choose Cloyster!"

"Clooooy-steeeeer!"

Cloyster was half water and half ice, so Ash knew this wouldn't be as easy as the last round. He'd have to hit Cloyster hard and fast before Typhlosion got washed away.

"Typhlosion, use your **Eruption**!"

The flames on Typhlosion's back began to skyrocket, and then he fired a huge blast of fire at Cloyster.

"Cloyster, **Protect**!"

Cloyster shielded itself with an energy shield; it emerged from Typhlosion's attack unscathed.

"Now blast it with your **Hydro Pump**!"

Ash must've taught Typhlosion to take a beating, because even though he was weak against water attacks he jumped right back into the battle.

"Typhlosion, get close and use your **Focus Punch**!"

Ice Pokémon may have been weak against fire, but since Cloyster was half water the damage was dealt normally. However a fighting attack would still do twice the damage since being a water type would do nothing to lessen that.

"Only if he can get to Cloyster, and that won't happen. Cloyster, **Spike Cannon**!"

Cloyster closed its shell and then started glowing white. Moments later it started firing spikes at Typhlosion in rapid succession like a machine gun turret. Typhlosion was tough, but the continued barrage of spikes drove him back.

"Typhlosion, try your **Hyper Beam**!"

Typhlosion charged energy for his attack and then fired.

"Cloyster, **Protect**!"

Once again Cloyster closed its shell and created a barrier to shield itself from Typhlosion's attack.

"Man I hate that attack!"

"Then why did you have your Feraligatr use it at the Indigo Conference?"

"Okay you got me…"

"Now finish it with another **Hydro Pump**!"

When the attack was finished Typhlosion tried his best to get up, but he just didn't have any strength left.

"Did you think you could win this battle with just one Pokémon, like you did with Bolt?"

"Never crossed my mind." said Ash.

Crystal could tell by the look in Ash's eyes that he was being sincere.

"I guess you're not as big a showoff as we're led to believe, but you're still going down."

"I don't think so. I choose Snorlax!"

"SNOR-LAX!"

"Hmm… interesting choice. I was expecting you to use your precious Pikachu."

"You'd like that wouldn't you? You'll find I'm full of surprises. Snorlax, attack!"

Snorlax started charging at Cloyster.

"Cloyster, **Spike Cannon**!"

Cloyster tried firing its spikes at Snrolax, but they just bounced off his belly as he charged.

"Cloyster, try your **Hydro Pump**!"

Cloyster fired a powerful blast of water, but it didn't even slow Snorlax down.

"Now Snorlax, hit it with your **Thunder Punch**!"

"SNOR-LAX!"

Snorlax's fist crackled with electricity as he punched Crystal's Cloyster and sent it flying.

"Cloyster, freeze it with your **Ice Beam**!"

Cloyster's beam hit Snorlax at his feet freezing him in place.

"Snorlax, use your **Superpower**!"

Snorlax's whole body started glowing; just like that he broke out of the ice and landed another punishing blow on Cloyster. This time the bivalve Pokémon didn't get up.

"I can see your Snorlax doesn't go down without a fight. Well… there's more than one way to skin a cat… I choose Froslass!"

Ash and the others were a bit surprised by Crystal's choice.

"How is that thing going to beat Snorlax when it isn't even half his size?"

"Like this… Froslass, use your **Attract**!"

Froslass winked at Snorlax and released multiple hearts from its body at Snorlax.

"Snorlax, use your **Fire Punch**!"

But Snorlax was under Froslass' spell, he just stood there staring at her with his mouth wide open.

"Just like a yuki-onna." said Crystal "She draws you in with her unearthly beauty, and then freezes you to death."

"It's a shame we can't use that attract thing on Ash and Misty." whispered Lily.

"I don't think we have to worry about that." said Violet "This morning he was saying her name in his sleep, and he woke up with a hard one."

"What? You didn't look did you?" asked Daisy.

"No, I just noticed that his sheets were sticking up."

Ash and the others weren't paying attention to the girls' little discussion, they were too busy trying to find a way to keep Snorlax from losing the match.

"Wait… That's it! Snorlax! You hit her with your **Fire Punch** or there will be no dinner or dessert for the rest of the week!"

Ash's threat must've worked because Snorlax immediately charged over and bashed Froslass in the head.

"Okay, we'll do it the old fashioned way." said Crystal "Froslass, use your **Blizzard**!"

Froslass raised its hands in the air and fired a powerful blizzard at Snorlax. The force of the attack made it hard for even a Pokémon of Snorlax's size and weight to press the attack.

"Err… Snorlax, try your **Rollout**!"

Snorlax started bent down and started tried rolling. His weight helped him gain momentum. Froslass kept pressing the attack, quickly turning Snorlax into a living snowball. When Snorlax finally reach Froslass he burst out of the snowball and landed another Fire Punch, knocking Froslass out.

"Okay… If that's the way you want it… I choose Walrein!"

Walrein was almost as tall as Snorlax, but was nowhere near as heavy. Ash believed Snorlax still had the advantage.

"Walrein, use your **Sheer Cold**!"

Walrein's body began to glow a light blue, then it opened its mouth and fired a bright burst of energy that froze Snorlax on the spot.

"_Shoot… They always do that."_ thought Ash _"When they can't beat Snorlax the old fashioned way they go for a one hit K-O."_

"So who shall I defeat next?" asked Crystal.

"Pikachu, it's your turn!"

"Pika-chu!"

Pikachu raced onto the surface of the frozen pool.

"So this is your famous Pikachu… let's see what it can do… Walrein, use your **Ice Ball**!"

Walrein opened its mouth, created a ball of ice, and fired it at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it with your **Agility**!"

Pikachu began dashing across the frozen surface to dodge Walrein's attack. Walrein launched four more balls of ice at Pikachu, each bigger than the last, but they all missed.

"Now Pikachu, hit it with your **Volt Tackle**!"

Pikachu covered his body with electricity, then rammed hard into Walrein's body knocking her off balance.

"Walrein, crush it with your **Body Slam**!"

Fortunately Pikachu was quick enough to get away before Walrein brought her three hundred and thirty pound body down on him. Pikachu continued to dodge Walrein's attacks and retaliate with his electrical attacks until Walrein fell.

"You're really getting on my nerves." said Crystal as she reached for her next Poké Ball "I choose Abomasnow!"

Abomasnow appeared inside the arena.

"Half ice and half grass… this won't be easy."

"Abomasnow, **Energy Ball**!"

Once again Ash and Pikachu were resorting to hit and run tactics. Pikachu would do his best to dodge one of Abomasnow's attacks and then counter with an attack of his own. Unfortunately Pikachu's electric attacks weren't very effective against grass type Pokémon.

"We're not getting anywhere as long as that little rodent keeps dodging my attacks… in that case… I won't give it anywhere to run. Abomasnow, **Ice Beam**!"

Abomasnow fired and a power beam of energy from its mouth that froze anything it hit, but oddly enough it wasn't aiming for Pikachu. Instead Abomasnow fired at the frozen surface they were fighting on and then began spinning around in circles, slowing raising its head as it did so. In a matter of moments it had enclosed itself and Pikachu in a wall of ice, leaving Pikachu with nowhere to run.

"Abomasnow, **Wood Hammer**!"

Pikachu tried to dodge the attack, but slipped on the ice and stumbled over. Abomasnow was there in a matter of moments and hit Pikachu so hard he was sent crashing through the wall of ice.

"Now finish it with **Solar Beam**!"

When Pikachu was hit by the powerful beam of light Abomasnow had fired at him, he let out a loud cry of pain.

"Pika… chu."

"It's okay." said Ash taking Pikachu in his arms "You don't have to fight anymore."

"Is that your best?" asked Crystal.

"If you watched me in the Indigo Conference or the Omega Games you should know that there are more Pokémon in my team than just Pikachu, and a number of them can easily take your Abomasnow, like this! Go Charizard!"

Charizard appeared with a mighty roar.

"Yes he does have a decent number of Pokémon that can stand up to ice Pokémon, but I doubt he has all of them in his party. I have a feeling that if I can take out his Charizard the rest will be cake. Abomasnow, use **Sheer Cold**!"

But Abomasnow only stood there breathing heavily and looking utterly exhausted.

"What?"

"It must be worn out from its fight with Pikachu!" said Brock "I can't imagine how much energy it used to create that ice cage or all the other attacks it used against."

"Charizard, **Fire Blast**!"

Since Abomasnow was half grass and half ice, both of which were Pokémon types weak against fire type attacks, it fell from just one of Charizard's attacks.

"It looks like you're down to one Pokémon." said Ash.

"One Pokémon is all I'll need to beat that Charizard and all your other Pokémon. I choose Mamoswine!"

A huge Mamoswine took to the field, but Charizard wasn't scared.

"It may be half ground, but since its also half ice, and Charizard is still fresh."

"Not for long. Mamoswine, use your **Ancient Power**!"

A silver ball formed on the edge of Mamoswine's tusks, which it fired at Charizard.

"Charizard, **Fly**!"

Charizard took off into the air so fast that the he was like an orange blur, Mamoswine's attack didn't even come close to hitting him.

"Err… Mamoswine, hit him your **Stone Edge**!"

Mamoswine conjured and launched dozens of sharp rocks at Charizard , and whatever he didn't dodge he just melted with a burst of fire.

"First Pikachu is capable of dodging just about everything that comes his way and now Charizard is doing the same? What kind of training did you do?"

"I'll answer your question when I'm not in the middle battle Misty. Charizard, use you **Heat Wave**!"

Charizard continued to dodge Mamoswine's attacks and then shower it with a barrage of powerful fire attacks like Heat Wave, Fire Blast, and Flare Blitz, until finally the twin tusk Pokémon looked like it had a heat stroke and collapsed. Then Ash and the others saw something none of them expected to see.

"That's right…" said Crystal "I'm crying…"

Ash expected someone with a heart as cold as Crystal's would be trash talking him now that he had beaten her in a Pokémon battle, but here she was crying.

"You could never understand… You don't know what its like to be born into a world of poverty… I couldn't even have Pokémon because my parents said we couldn't afford it… One day I just ran away from home and never looked back… Fortunately someone was kind enough to provide me with some Poké Balls so I could catch my first Pokémon. I spent years in the mountains training them, they were my only friends… they've never let me down… until today."

Crystal was so defeated she didn't bother to brush Ash off when he walked over to her.

"I can see that you love your Pokémon… but using them to steal diamonds and win underground Pokémon battles isn't the way to treat them. And I doubt they would enjoy anything the man with the Black Charizard would do to make them more powerful."

"But what am I supposed to do to make a living?"

"Maybe you could open a snow cone shop?" suggested Lily sarcastically.

"Or you could serve snow cones while doing an ice show? Or you could make ice sculptures for special events with your Pokémon. I think you'll find it better than having to run from the law for the rest of your life."

When Crystal had gone Ash put Charizard to work thawing the pool.

"So Ash, how did you train Pikachu to maneuver so well on ice, or get Charizard to go so fast?"

"Charizard did most of his training in the Charicific Valley. But to help him get even faster I have had him do dome training with strap-on weights. At first it was hard for him to fly with them on, but when he was able to fly normally with them on I took them off, and he without them he was able to fly even faster than before. As for Pikachu I simply had him practice fighting on solid ice."

"Well I must say I'm impressed." said Misty "I never thought you'd think that far ahead."

"I learned a long time ago that a good Pokémon trainer prepares for anything… I just hope I'm ready for the man with the Black Charizard… if we make it that far."


	9. Too Hot to Handle

"It would seem Ash Ketchum is better than we gave him credit for. He's already beaten both Bolt and Crystal without needing a full team of Pokémon."

"True… but I'll bet he's never faced a trainer like me before."

"Hard to argue with that…"

"What was that?"

"You know what I mean."

"Lock it down, both of you. If you spent more time training your Pokémon than you did arguing one of you would have beaten him by now."

"You don't have to worry about it master, my babies will fry him even without the augmentations you've promised us."

"That's exactly what Bolt said to us before Ketchum kicked his ass."

"So I take it you'll be fighting him next?"

"If he doesn't have a problem with it, then yes."

"Ladies first."

"Very well. You will challenge him tomorrow."

He turned and left them alone without saying another word. He went down to the gymnasium to check on the progress of his newest specimen. He was pleased to see that it had finally gotten used to its new power. Out of all the revived fossil Pokémon he had ripped off those former members of Team Galactic in Sinnoh, this was the only one that had been strong enough to survive the augmentation process. After months of recovery and training it was ready for battle.

"It still amazes me that even after all these years of co-existing with Pokémon and people have barely grasped their potential."

He could hardly believe there was a time when he had trained Pokémon the same way everyone else did, but that had gotten him nowhere. Since childhood it had been his dream to be the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time, and on the exciting day when he finally got his first Pokémon he felt like he was ready to take on the world. It wasn't long before he found out just how wrong he was, or how many other people had the same dream he did. It had been like trying to climb a mountain, working tirelessly day after day trying to reach the summit, but when you finally think you're going to reach the goal someone else comes along and sends you plummeting to your death. He kept falling and falling until one day he finally had enough.

He set out into the world with his Pokémon determined to find a way to make them more powerful than anything the world had ever seen. Once he had been someone who cared about all his Pokémon, but today if they weren't strong enough to survive the augmentation process then he didn't think they were worth caring about. Where there had once been a "nobody" who could only dream about reaching the top, today there was a man who was feared throughout the Pokémon world. It didn't matter whether he was famous or infamous; all that mattered was that he was the best.

The next day during rehearsal Simmona was tougher than ever while trying to get Ash to sing correctly, but that was the least of his worries. It wasn't long until Daisy insisted that Ash and Misty practice the scene where the prince and the youngest mermaid kiss.

"I'm so happy." said Misty in character "Now we can be together… forever."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

Ash and Misty came real close, but just like every time before they hesitated at the last moment.

"Cut! Are you two going to kiss or am I going to have to come over there and make you!" said Violet.

"Shh! Let me handle this." said Daisy "Misty, Ash, what's wrong?"

"Well… This is kind of embarrassing."

"Now they're saying the exact same thing at the same time." whispered Lily.

"Okay, I know Misty's never done this before, but Ash surely you've kissed a girl before."

"No… not really. Much less kissed a girl in front of bunch of people."

"I never thought the regional Pokémon League Champion would be the shy type." whispered Violet "By the way, is it getting hot in here?"

"Just remember, it's just a play, so no one can say anything about it."

"_Except for the fact that I'm the regional champion and not just some other actor."_

"Seriously, isn't it getting hot in here?"

Violet's answer came a moment later. All the Pokémon in the pool breached the surface and were breathing real hard. About six seconds later everyone who was in the pool screamed because they felt like their legs were burning.

"Okay! Everyone out of the pool!"

While the girls were busy getting the Pokémon out of the pool, Ash and Brock went down to see what was wrong with the heater.

"Holy crap! Who set this thing on scalding?"

That's when they noticed a little message taped to the wall.

**I'm glad I got your attention, now come outside you retards**

Outside the Cerulean Gym's entrance Ash and the others saw that a bunch of decorative torches had been placed around the area.

"What the…"

Suddenly a huge fireball appeared out of nowhere in the center of the torches, and when it faded there was a girl with long red hair standing where it had been. She was dressed head to toe in black leather and had sunglasses to match.

"Who the heck is this?" asked Lily.

"Watch your mouth girly girl, or this new gym of yours will go up in smoke. My name is Barbra, and for the right price my Pokémon and I will torch anything. But tonight I'm your opponent."

"Now I remember, she's a small time hit-girl for people who want to send their enemies a message. The message being that their house has burned to the ground."

"You use your Pokémon for arson?" asked Ash.

"You got a problem with that?"

"No…" said Ash backing away "I was just wondering why you'd do something like that."

"Because I sexed my way through school and both my parents were heroin addicts who overdosed on meth… I'm a little ashamed of that."

"She's ashamed of that, but not the fact that she burns down people's homes for a living?" asked Daisy.

"I was going to talk about how beautiful she looks… but now I'm just going to be sick." said Brock.

"Wait a minute, if your parents were heroin addicts, then why did they overdose on meth?"

"They wanted to try something new. Now enough talking about how much my adolescence sucked, let's battle!"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say all her Pokémon are fire type." said Ash "Good thing we decided to check on an old friend."

"Pika-chu!"

"You two look confident."

"I don't mean to brag, but I am the regional champion."

"And I'm the one who is going to turn the famous Ash Ketchum into ashes."

"Wow… what a burn." said Ash sarcastically "It's going to take me awhile to recover from that one."

"Just choose your Pokémon."

"Ladies first."

"Very well… Go Houndoom!"

Barbra's Houndoom appeared and shot a stream of fire into the sky.

"Pi-ka-pi?"

"No, we'll save him for last." said Ash reaching for his first Poké Ball "It'll be a nice surprise for the others. Besides, this ought to put out that pup's fire… I choose you, Kingler!"

"Ko-ki! Ko-ki! Ko-ki!"

"I thought you'd use a water type… Fortunately my I taught my Houndoom a trick to deal with them. Houndoom, use your **Thunder Fang**!"

As Houndoom charged at Kingler his teeth started to crackle with electricity, but Ash wasn't worried. Kingler may have been weak against electric attacks, but in order for Thunder Fang to work Houndoom had to bite him, and it wouldn't get that chance.

"Kingler, use your **Crabhammer**!"

Kingler smacked Houndoom away with his pincer the moment it got too close. The dark Pokémon was sent flying the other way.

"Now hit it with your **Bubble Beam**!"

Kingler opened his pincer and fired a stream of glowing bubbles in rapid succession that sent Houndoom bouncing further away.

"Houndoom, get up and use your **Solar Beam**!"

Houndoom jumped to his feet and began gathering energy.

"Fire!"

"Kingler, **Dig**!"

Kingler quickly burrowed underground to dodge the attack.

"Now finish it with **Vice Grip**!"

Kingler jumped out the ground and grabbed Houndoom in his pincer, then he began to squeeze. When he was done he tossed him aside.

"Let's see that overgrown crab of yours handle this. Go, Ninetales!"

"I expected a girl who uses fire Pokémon would have one."

"Ninetales, use your **Confuse Ray**!"

Ninetales' eyes began to glow a variety of colors.

"Kingler, **Crabhammer**!"

But Kingler just kept slamming his pincer in random directions.

"They don't call it Confuse Ray for nothing. Ninetales, use your **Extrasensory**!"

Ninetales' eyes began to glow gold, then she opened her mouth and fired a multicolored circular beam with white crescents that struck Kingler dead-on.

"Kingler, try using your **Bubble Beam**!"

Kingler launched his attack, unfortunately it was in the wrong direction.

"Ninetales', use your **Energy Ball**!"

Ninetales opened her mouth and fired a green ball of energy that exploded in Kingler's face. But Kingler finally managed to snap out of his confusion.

"Kingler, attack with your **Guillotine**!"

Kingler's pincer started to glow, and then he began charging at Ninetales.

"Ninetales', use your **Fire Blast**!"

The star shaped burst of fire struck Kingler before he could reach Ninetales. He fell to the ground covered in scorch marks.

"I don't mean to micromanage, but why didn't any of her fire Pokémon use any fire attacks before?" asked Lily.

"Because Kingler is a water Pokémon and the damage would have been cut in half." said Misty.

"Oh right…"

"If you thought Kingler was my only water Pokémon then you're sadly mistaken. I choose Feraligatr!"

"Gaa-toor!"

"Oh no. It's the attack of the overgrown handbag." said Barbra "Ninetales, use your **Energy Ball**!"

"Feraligatr, **Protect**!"

Before Ninetales' Energy Ball hit Feraligatr created a barrier that shielded him from the attack.

"Now counter with **Hydro Pump**!"

Feraligatr opened his mouth and shot Ninetales with a powerful blast of water.

"He can't use that attack at close range. Ninetales, **Quick Attack**!"

Ninetales charged at Feraligatr with unbelievable speed.

"Like a spider to the fly. Feraligatr, **Superpower**!"

Feraligatr's body started to glow a light blue, then when Ninetales got close enough he sent her soaring.

"Err… **Overheat**!"

"**Hydro Cannon**!"

At first it looked like the two attacks were only going to create a lot of steam, but then Feraligatr's Hydro Cannon overpowered Ninetales' Overheat and sent her crashing into a nearby tree.

"Err… That Feraligatr of yours may be powerful, but power is no good if you can't touch your opponent. Go Rapidash!"

Ash knew from experience that Rapidash was capable of running at speeds up to a hundred and fifty miles an hour. When Barbra said she was going to use speed she wasn't kidding. But Ash didn't get where he was by giving up.

"Feraligatr, use your **Water Pulse**!"

Barbra didn't need to give the order, because her Rapidash was already on the move. It ran quickly out of the way of Feraligatr's attack and then leapt high into the air.

"Rapidash, **Stomp!**"

Rapidash came down on Feraligatr like a meteor and started to trample him. It took a minute, but Feraligatr found the strength to throw her off.

"Feraligatr, try another **Water Pulse**!"

Feraligatr fired another powerful blast, but once again Rapidash was too quick and dodged it.

"Rapidash, **Takedown**!"

Rapidash charged at Feraligatr, dodging any attacks that came her way, and then slammed into him full force.

"Feraligatr is never going to win this way, not as long as Rapidash can keep dodging his attacks. I need to find a way to get Rapidash to slip up… wait… That's it! Feraligatr, use your **Rain Dance**!"

Feraligatr's eyes started to glow a bright blue, then the rest of his body followed suit. He opened his jaw wide and started roaring while jumping up and down and swinging his arms around. In a matter of moments some storm clouds rolled in and it started to rain.

"It will take more than a little drizzle to beat me Ketchum."

"This is only half my plan."

Barbra's Rapidash didn't like the rain, but that didn't stop her from attacking. Ash waited until he thought the ground was wet enough.

"Now Feraligatr, use your **Ice Beam **on the ground!"

In a matter of moments the ground around Feraligatr was turned into one big ice ring. Rapidash rushed in for another attack, but slipped on the ice and fell flat on her stomach.

"Hit her with your **Superpower**!"

Feraligatr slid across the ice and punched Rapidash away.

"Now finish her with your **Hydro Pump**!"

Rapidash was sent rolling across the ground by Feraligatr's attack.

"You're really starting to piss me off." said Barbra reaching for her next Poké Ball "Go Camerupt!"

Camerupt didn't look like much, then again neither did most Pokémon, but that was never a good reason to underestimate them.

"Camerupt, use your **Eruption**!"

A geyser of fire spewed from both of the volcanoes on Camerupt's back, in a matter of moments rocks covered in fire started falling from the sky. Barbra's motive was not only to hurt Ash's Feraligatr, but to melt all the ice he had created.

"Feraligatr, use your **Hydro Pump**!"

"Camerupt, **Double Team**!"

Camerupt immediately created copies of itself, and Feraligatr's attack passed through the wrong one.

"Now Camerupt, Earthquake!"

Camerupt stopped on the ground and sent out a huge shockwave that shook the whole area, Feraligatr was tossed to and fro along the ground.

"Thank the heavens the gym is quakeproof." said Misty.

"Your gym is quakeproof?"

"Duh." said Violet "When Omegamoah attacked he used an Earthquake of his own and totally wrecked a lot of buildings in town. So they took that into consideration when they rebuilt the city."

"Save it for someone who cares. Camerupt, use your **Giga Impact**!"

Camerupt covered its body in energy and charged into Feraligatr, who had still been tired from his previous fights, so he didn't have enough energy to get up."

"Let me show you a real ground Pokémon. Go Garchomp!"

Garchomp appeared and gave his usual opening roar.

"This complicates things…"

Barbra knew that just about the only things that could scare a Garchomp were other dragon Pokémon and ice attacks, and she didn't have either, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying. So far she had only squeezed out a living with a few underground battles and small jobs for people that needed an arsonist, but if she became the apprentice of the man with the Black Charizard she would have it made.

"Camerupt, **Eruption**!"

"Garchomp, **Dragon Rush**!"

Garchomp dodged any falling fiery rocks that came his way and rammed into Camerupt.

"Camerupt, try your **Flash Cannon**!"

Camerupt fired a silver beam of energy from his mouth, but the attack didn't do much damage at all.

"Hmm… Camerupt, use your Giga Impact!"

"Garchomp, **Dig**!"

Garchomp burrowed underground before Camerupt reached him.

"Gotcha. Camerupt, use your **Earthquake**!"

Before Camerupt could use its attack Garchomp shot out of the ground and hit him with another Dragon Rush.

"Now Garchomp, finish it with your **Draco Meteor**!"

Garchomp created a ball of orange energy in his mouth, which was fired into the air and exploded, releasing many orbs that rained down upon Camerupt.

"Shoot… I've got nothing that can take out that Garchomp… or do I?"

Barbra looked down at her remaining Poké Balls.

"If I can't beat him, I'll just have to scare him."

"Go Arcanine!"

"Arcanine? But he doesn't have any attacks that are effective against dragons."

"Or does he? Arcanine, **Roar**!"

Arcanine let out a roar that was fierce enough to send Garchomp back into his Poké Ball.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" said Daisy.

"Couldn't he just use Garchomp again?"

"No, this is Kanto. According to the rules of the Kanto Pokémon League; if your Pokémon is returned to its Poké Ball then it's disqualified from the match." said Brock.

"But Ash totally didn't follow that rule when he fought Giovanni." said Lily.

"Technically he was just outside Kanto's border at the time, so he didn't really need to apply to the region's Pokémon League rules."

"That is so stupid." said Violet.

"I thought the rules only applied to official matches, and I don't think this qualifies."

"Don't worry, I won't need Garchomp for the rest of the fight." said Ash "I've got an old friend with me who's been dying to get some action."

"An old friend? What's he talking about?"

Ash reached for another one of the Poké Balls on his belt.

"I choose you… Blastoise!"

"Blastoise?"

"Blaaaaassss!"

The Pokémon that emerged from Ash's Poké Ball was indeed the Shellfish Pokémon Blastoise.

"Officer Jenny called me the other day to tell me the good news. I brought him over to see what he could do."

"That overgrown turtle of yours may have power, but my Arcanine has speed."

"Didn't you already say something like that when you used Rapidash?"

"Well forgive me if I don't have unlimited vocabulary. Arcanine, **Solar Beam**!"

"Blastoise, **Protect**!"

Blastoise shielded himself from Arcanine's attack.

"I'm getting really sick of that trick." said Barbra.

"Blastoise, use your **Gyro Ball**!"

Blastoise retreated into his shell and started spinning around and around very rapidly. Blue rings formed around his shell, and then he spun into Arcanine.

"Arcanine, use your **Crunch**!"

"Blastoise, **Iron Defense**!"

Once again Blastoise retreated into his shell, which began to glow. When Arcanine tried to bite it Ash and the others heard the sound of teeth shattering. Arcanine started crying in pain.

"I knew I should've taught him Thunder Fang."

"Blastoise, **Aqua Jet**!"

Blastoise's body became surrounded by water, and then he shot forward like a rocket and tackled Arcanine.

"Arcanine, use your **Hyper Beam**!"

"Blastoise, **Iron Defense**!"

Blastoise retreated into his shell to take the attack. When he emerged it looked like the Hyper Beam had barely scratched him.

"Now finish him with your **Hydro Pump**!"

Blastoise shot two powerful streams of water from the cannons on his back. Arcanine tried to stand its ground, but it wasn't long before it ran out of strength.

"Way to go big guy!"

"Pika!"

"Blaaaasssst!"

"Is it just me, or are none of these underground Pokémon trainers as good as they'd like us to believe?" asked Daisy.

"Maybe Ash is just so good he makes them look weak in comparison."

Seven years ago Misty never would have said that, of course back then Ash had only been an overly confident rookie. Today he was the regional Pokémon League Champion of Kanto, and the person who had helped generate the money needed to rebuild her hometown. Eight years of training Pokémon had changed him in more ways than one, and since their reunion Misty had really started to take notice, and she liked what she saw.

"Let's see if your overgrown turtle can handle this!" said Barbra reaching for her last Poké Ball "Go Magmortar!"

"Maag-moortaar!"

"You know… I could almost feel that coming."

"Magmortar, **Thunderbolt**!"

"Blastoise, **Protect**!"

Blastoise was able to raise the shield in time to deflect Magmortar's attack.

"He can't just keep shielding himself forever. Protect is less likely to work every time it's used in succession." said Brock.

"Then he'll just have to go on the offensive."

"Blastoise, **Water Pulse**!"

"Magmortar, **Double Team**!"

Magmortar was using the same trick Barbra's Camerupt had used to dodge attacks.

"Okay, how many Pokémon can learn that trick?"

"I'm pretty sure it's almost all of them."

"Magmortar, **Solar Beam**!"

"Blastoise, **Rapid Spin**!"

Blastoise retreated into his shell and began spinning like a disc, he span fast enough to dodge the attack.

"Now hit him with your **Skull Bash**!"

Blastoise shot at Magmortar like a bullet and slammed his head into his chest.

"Magmortar, **Thunder Punch**!"

Magmortar punched Blastoise in the gut and electricity danced across his body, but he quickly shook it off.

"Blastoise, **Flash Cannon**!"

Blastoise shot two silver beams from the cannons on his back which struck Magmortar dead-on.

"Enough of this! Magmortar, **Thunder Bolt**!"

"Blastoise, **Rapid Spin**!"

Everyone was shocked to see that Blastoise was fast enough to dodge even a Thunder Bolt.

"Now finish it with **Hydro Cannon**!"

Blastoise fired two insanely powerful blasts of water out of his cannons. Magmortar fell to the ground defeated.

"I never thought someone like you would be able to put out my fire…" said Barbra "That's kind of hot.

For that I'll give you a piece of advice. Your last opponent is the scariest."


	10. Urban Legends

It had been a long day of rehearsing, and it looked like Ash might finally be turning it around.

"Well you're not horrible."

That was what Simmona had said earlier today. It was probably the closest thing to a compliment he was going to get from her. Now if only he could figure out how to do those romance scenes with Misty. He was almost ready to turn in when he heard someone knocking on his door.

"Ash… Are you awake? Ash?"

"Misty? What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. I can't help but keep thinking about the musical… I'm going to go for a swim, care to join me?"

This was the second time Misty had asked Ash to go for a swim with her. The first time had been after he gave her that Milotic, and he really enjoyed it. He checked to make sure Pikachu was asleep.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything."

"Grab your trunks and keep quiet… I don't want to wake the others."

Ash was still amazed by how big the new pool was, and to think he and Misty would be having it to themselves.

"Too bad we don't have a skylight." said Misty turning on only a fraction of the lights "But then we'd have the sun coming in when we're trying to do the musical… kinda ruins the magic."

Ash wasn't paying attention. He was too busy looking at Misty in her blue one piece bathing suit. He'd seen Misty wearing bathing suits before, but it wasn't until they had been apart for so long that he had a reaction to it. Then again back when he started his Pokémon journey they had both just been kids. Many things about both of them had changed since then, and both of them were noticing.

"Well… Are we going to go swimming or are you going to stand there all night?"

Ash could swim if the occasion called for it, but Misty was much better and could hold her breath underwater a lot longer. That was one reason he was glad that his character in the musical didn't need to swim, that and because he'd sink like a rock in the prince's costume.

"_I've said it before and I'll say it again."_ he thought as he watched Misty dive quickly to the bottom of the pool and then swim back toward the surface _"She could be a real mermaid."_

When Misty broke the surface she swam right next to Ash.

"How long have we known each other?"

"Since the day I became a Pokémon trainer."

"Yes, but you're certainly not the same ten year old kid I fished out of the river… You're a lot older… smarter… and sexier than the Ash Ketchum I remember."

"I am? I mean... yes! And you're… even more beautiful than the Misty I remember."

"The old Ash also wouldn't spend all his time looking at my breasts."

"What? Oh! Sorry…"

"It's okay you silly boy… you're probably just curious… I'm curious about you too."

The way Misty was talking was starting to make Ash nervous, so he tried to change the subject.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought her back… Do you think you can satisfy this curious kitten?"

"I… don't know what you mean. And don't cats hate water?"

"Oh I think you do… I'm not the only one who's gone through puberty. We've both got certain urges tugging at our bodies… but until now we've chosen to ignore them… Why don't we just give in?"

"Uh… is this like a scene from a movie or something?"

"This isn't a movie Ash… it's real life… I'll even show you just how real I am." she said reaching for the straps on her suit "If you promise to show me how real you are…"

Before Ash could give her a response the lights all went out.

"Shoot! One of the others must be up! Stay out of sight, I'll get the lights."

Misty got out of the pool and then fumbled around in the dark looking for the lights.

"Who's there? Daisy? Violet? Lily? Brock?"

"Quiet! I hear something…"

Something was skulking about in the shadows

"Come on guys! This isn't funny!"

Eventually Misty found the light switch, as soon as she turned it on Ash saw the person who must've turned it off.

"MISTY! BEHIND YOU!"

Misty jumped out of the way just in time as a huge katana dug into the wall where she had been standing. The tall person who pulled it out was dressed in a shredded dirty and soggy black coat, jacket, and pants. He also wore an old skull mask over his face.

"RUN!"

Ash scrambled out of the pool. He and Misty ran out and bolted the door behind them. But Ash had seen enough movies to know that wouldn't stop a psycho.

"WAKE UP EVERYBODY! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

They didn't get far when they heard the door bursting open behind them.

"Brock! Wake up! There's someone in the building! We've got to… AHHHHHH!"

When Ash and Misty opened the door to Brocks room they saw that he had been cut clean in half at the waist. When they went to check on Misty's sisters they found Daisy impaled with a pool skimmer, Lily had been beheaded, and Violet's arms and legs had been torn from their sockets. When they found Simmona it was yet another blood bath. This time both Ash and Misty couldn't help but throw up. They tried to run out the main entrance, but the door had been locked from the outside.

"What do we do?"

"Well Misty… in horror movies… when there is nowhere left to run and no where left to hide there is only one thing to do… Fight for your life!"

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"Uh… Wait a minute… Duh!" he said slapping himself in the forehead "We'll use our Pokémon!"

"What Pokémon?"

Ash had completely forgotten that he was in his swimming trunks and Misty in her one piece bathing suit. And they couldn't go back to their rooms to get their Pokémon because the lunatic was coming down the hall.

"In that case… RUN SOME MORE!"

Ash and Misty ran through the hallways until they came to a dead end, that's when they realized they were leaving a trail of water for the killer to follow since neither of them had a chance to dry off after they got out of the pool.

"Uh oh… This is not going to end well."

They saw a shadow coming down the hall.

"Okay Misty… I'm going to run right at him, and then while he's distracted you make a break for it."

"All the exits are locked."

"Then break the door down with something."

At that moment Ash and Misty saw that the shadow at the end of the hallway didn't belong to the killer.

"Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

When Pikachu ran over Ash and Misty were relieved to see that he wasn't injured, but he was in a panic.

"Oh no…"

The killer had found them and was moving slowly down the hallway like a zombie carrying his bloody katana in one hand.

"Pikachu, zap him! Give him the biggest Thunderbolt you've got!"

Pikachu slapped himself on the forehead for not thinking of that himself.

"PIKA-CHU!"

Pikachu fired a powerful Thunderbolt that struck the killer in the chest and sent him flying into the wall. He collapsed to the ground with smoking emanating from all over is body.

"Is he dead?"

"I don't think so… but I know I don't want to stick around and find out…"

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu made their way down the hall. When they came to the corner Ash stood in between them and the killer while Misty and Pikachu crept to the other side, but the masked killer never moved.

"Let's get out of here and call for help."

Ash hadn't made it five steps when he felt a huge blade dig into his back and come out through his chest.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Ash! Get a hold of yourself!"

Ash found himself in his bed with everyone looking at him. He was relieved to see that they were all very much alive and in one piece.

"Whoa… I just had a horrible nightmare."

"Let me guess… serial killer?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm psychic." said Misty pointing to the DVD case Bone Bag III: The Bloodening which was sitting on Ash's nightstand.

By lunch the day had gone by normally. Simmona kept pushing Ash to sing better, and by lunch both he and Misty had once again been unable to do the scene where the prince and the youngest mermaid kiss. It made him think about the better half of his dream last night. In his dream Misty had actually advanced on him, but in real life they were just too embarrassed to kiss, even if it was just for a musical.

"Ki… ki… ki… ma… ma… ma… Ki… ki… ki… ma… ma… ma…" said Violet sneaking up behind him.

"Will you cut that out?"

"Yeah, besides Bone Bag is just a movie character." said Brock "The guy you've really got to watch out for is Freddy Loomis."

"Who?" asked everyone at once.

"You've never heard the story of Freddy Loomis?"

"Oh come on, you know we don't watch that shit." said Lily.

"It's not a movie, it really happened."

"What really happened?"

"Hit the lights and I'll tell you."

"Why do we need the lights out?"

"To set the mood."

After the lights had been turned off Brock pulled a flashlight out of nowhere.

"Twenty years ago a beautiful and unmarried teenage girl died giving birth to an albino son, and his name… was… Freddy… Loomis. Too ashamed to have an albino for a son, and because he didn't want the responsibility of raising a child, his father and grandparents put him up for adoption… but no one would ever have him. At the orphanage Freddy was picked on and tormented by the other kids, and he grew envious of them because they were the ones being adopted and not him. One day when he was five years old he couldn't take it anymore and ran from the town and into the mountains. For years he stayed there in a cave living off vegetation and occasionally going into town to steal food. His only friends… were the ghost Pokémon that lived there."

"What's so scary about an albino who lives in the mountains with ghost Pokémon?" asked Daisy.

"Quiet, I'm not finished. Anyway… for almost thirteen years no one saw or heard from little Freddy… unless they were unfortunate enough to go wandering into the mountains where he lived… For awhile they were always found at the foot of the mountain paralyzed with fear… But then things got worse… a lot worse… Legend has it that eventually Freddy tracked down his father and grandparents… and he took his revenge… but not before his father slashed him across the throat with a kitchen knife… When the police finally arrived… It was terrible! HORRIBLE! GRUESOME! You don't want to know."

"So what happened to Freddy?"

"No… one… knows… Some say he died… but his body was never found… So others say he's still out there… but the deaths of the people who abandoned him wasn't enough… They say he's still hungry for more… Which is probably the reason that since then no one who has ever ventured into his mountain range has ever returned. For that reason the mountains have been closed off… but that's not enough to stop Freddy… They say every year on the night of his birthday he comes down from the mountain… to seek his horrible vengeance… You know what today is? It's Freddy's twenty first birthday… I'd hate to be on the streets tonight when he comes along… MWAH HA AH AH!"

"Brock… There's just one problem with your story… How do you know Freddy made friends with ghost Pokémon if no one ever saw him again?" asked Ash.

"Uh… Well that's what I heard."

"Nice try." said Misty "But it's probably just an urban legend used to get disobedient children to behave and not sneak out after dark."


	11. The Master of Fear

Except for Ash's little nightmare the day had gone by normally. Judging from Simmona's critique he was finally making some serious progress, but still he and Misty had been unable to do the kissing scene.

"Those two are meant for each other, they're just too embarrassed." thought Daisy as washed her hair "They won't be able to evade it on opening day, and once they finally kiss they'll totally fall for each other."

Daisy had just got out of the shower when her phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Daisy…"

"Who's this?"

"Just a fan… You don't know me, but I've seen you perform. You're very pretty…"

"Thanks."

"You need to be more careful though… Girls like you can attract some unwanted attention… you should learn to lock the front door after hours…"

"What did you say?"

The line went dead. Daisy ran out into the hall wearing only her towel. She didn't make it far when the lights went out. If she had seen more horror movies she would know that stopping for any reason was a bad idea. Suddenly she felt an icy cold hand on her shoulder.

"AAAAGGGGHHH!"

The whole gym sprang to life. Ash quickly grabbed his Poké Balls so he wouldn't have a repeat of his nightmare. He and the others ran through the hallways until they found Daisy.

"What happened?!"

"And why are you running around in a towel?" asked Violet.

"There's a guy back there!"

"A guy… What'd he look like?"

"I don't know! I was too busy running for my life to notice."

At that moment Ash and the others noticed a thick and eerie fog coming down the hall.

"Oh my god! Did he set the building on fire?!"

"I don't think so… It doesn't smell like smoke."

"He's just trying to creep us out… Girls you stay here, Ash and I will go get this guy."

"No! Don't you see? He's trying to separate us, divide and conquer, it happens all the time in horror movies."

"So what do we do?"

"We all go."

"Are you crazy?!" asked Lily.

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather be with the others than standing here all alone."

While Ash and the others were talking the fog crept over them. That's when Violet felt something like a slimy tongue on her neck.

"AAAAGGGGHHH!"

Everybody panicked and ran, unfortunately for Ash he ran straight into a wall, and his life went black.

"Pika!"

"Pikachu?"

When Ash woke up he found himself in a dark room illuminated only by a few lights and covered in fog, but his attention was focused on the person standing in the center of the room. He was wearing a torn and ragged old black hooded cloak. His skin was almost as pale as the fog. His pale yellow hair was long and greasy. His fingers were like talons. But the thing that captured Ash the most was the horrible scar on his neck and his two gleaming red eyes.

"Freddy Loomis I presume?"

"You presume correctly…"

Freddy's voice was almost inaudible and sounded like the hissing of a snake.

"I'm sorry if you can barely hear me… but as you can see my dear father did a number on my vocal cords."

"Where are we?! What have you done with the others?!"

"Irrelevant, and nothing… Well… I did spy on the girls in the shower… They have such beautiful bodies you know."

"You're nothing but murderer and a pervert!"

"I only killed those who deserved to die… And who are you to call me a pervert? From what I understand you've been having erotic dreams about yourself and the one called Misty… Making love on the beach? Skinny dipping in the pool?"

Ash opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"How do you know what?"

"I heard from some very reliable friends of mine to whom your dreams are an open book. You have a deep desire to perform unspeakable acts of passion with her, but you're too afraid to let her know… You're afraid she won't accept you."

Ash had no idea how Freddy knew these things, but if he told Misty about them he was sure that she would be calling him a pervert.

"I can sense your fear Ketchum… Fortunately for you I'm in the mood for something a bit more sporty… The man with the Black Charizard has sent me to defeat you in a Pokémon battle. Win and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"And how do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't… but sometimes life is like that."

Ash agreed, mainly on the grounds that he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"We'll each use six Pokémon, no time limit."

If what Brock said was true then Freddy would most likely be using ghost Pokémon. Ghost Pokémon could be tricky, and the only Pokémon that they feared were Psychic and Dark types. Unfortunately Ash didn't have Pokémon of either type in his party. He'd just have to hit him hard and fast.

"I choose Typhlosion!"

Typhlosion appeared and gave a mighty roar. It was clear that he wasn't afraid of Freddy.

"I choose… Spiritomb."

Instead of reaching for a Poké Ball Freddy just raised his hand and pointed out at the ring. Moments later a Spiritomb appeared beside him. Typhlosion felt something strike at him from behind, he turned around to blast whatever it was with his Flamethrower, but there was nothing there. While his back was turned Spiritomb attacked him with a Dark Pulse attack.

"What the heck?!"

"It's a Dark Pulse attack. Spiritomb can learn that you know."

Freddy didn't seem too upset that his Pokémon had attacked without being given an order.

"_Wait a minute… I think I've seen this before."_

Ghost Pokémon weren't exactly normal, and if what Brock said was true these Ghost Pokémon had been Freddy's only friends since he was five years old.

"_If they can see inside my dreams… Maybe Freddy can give them orders without saying them out loud. This is going to be even harder than I thought."_

Spiritomb continued to bombard Typhlosion with Shadow Balls and Dark Pulse attacks, but Typhlosion stood his ground and continued to counter with powerful flame attacks. At one point Spiritomb looked like he was making a suggestion and Freddy gave him an approving nod. The next moment Spiritomb's eyes began to glow followed by its whole body. Ash thought he was getting ready to use some really powerful attack, but much to his surprise nothing happened.

"Typhlosion, use your **Eruption**!"

The flames on Typhlosion's back shot high into the air, and then he opened his mouth and fired a huge burst of fire the struck Spiritomb dead-on. Spiritomb vanished into the keystone attached to his body, signifying that it had been defeated, but then a purples aura surrounded Typhlosion's body and he collapsed to the ground.

"Damn! It must've used Destiny Bond!"

"Did you really think you could just hurt one of my friends and get away with it?" asked Freddy "You may have bonded with your Pokémon Ketchum, but you cannot begin to imagine the bond I share with mine."

Freddy's eyes started glowing, and then he raised his hand and fired a burst of lightning that flew right past Ash's head.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out now."

"And now I will further demonstrate my power… Sableye, come to me!"

Freddy pointed into the ring and a Sableye appeared from the darkness.

"Oh great, another one."

Ash wondered which Pokémon he should use next. Since he didn't have anything that would grant him a type advantage he decided he should just go with something tough.

"I choose you, Garchomp!"

"GAAAAR!"

As soon as Garchomp appeared Sableye put its hands together and a glowing orange ball formed between its hands. It then raised its hands and the ball's size grew dramatically. It then threw the ball at Garchomp.

"Garchomp, dodge it and use your **Dragon Rush**!"

Garchomp leapt out of the way of Sableye's attack and his body was covered with a light blue aura. He charged at Sableye and collided with him. Suddenly Sableye's arm became shrouded in a black aura with a purple outline. The aura then took the form of a giant claw and Sableye slashed Garchomp across the chest with it.

"Garchomp, use your **Dragon Claw**!"

Garchomp's hands grew a light green and then he began to slash across Sableye's face repetitively. Sableye then put some distance between himself and Garchomp, then the top of his head was surrounded by a light blue transparent dome, then he hurled himself at Garchomp like a bullet and struck him in the gut.

"Garchomp, hit him with your **Fire Blast**!"

Sableye was at point blank range, so there was no way he could dodge Garchomp's attack when he fired it. When it was over Sableye disappeared beneath the fog.

"So you tricked Sableye into getting to close… Well here's one Pokémon your Garchomp better stay clear of… Come forth, Dusknoir!"

Dusknoir appeared on the field. He seemed as eager to avenge his fallen comrades as Freddy.

"Garchomp, use your **Dragon Rush**!"

Garchomp charged at Dusknoir, but as he did Ash saw that Dusknoir's fist was being surrounded with any icy glow.

"Garchomp, stop!"

Garchomp stopped at the last moment and leapt backward, barely avoiding Dusknoir's Ice Punch.

"Now counter with **Dragon Pulse**!"

Garchomp opened his mouth and fired a huge turquoise colored ball of energy that sent Dusknoir crashing to the ground. Freddy pointed at Garchomp with his index finger and moved his hand so swiftly Ash could swear he heard the cracking of a whip. Moments later Dusknoir emerged from the fog and fired and Ice Beam from his hands.

"Garchomp, run!"

Garchomp raced to stay ahead of the beam, but eventually he ran out of room to run. He leapt up against the wall and kicked away from it, as he came down he twisted his body to avoid the beam. Because of the fog covering the floor Garchomp couldn't see the ice that had been formed there by the beam. He slipped across the floor until Dusknoir brought the beam on him, freezing him where he was.

_ "Man, I really wish I had Noctowl with me right now… wait… Maybe I do have something I can use against these ghosts."_

Ash didn't have any dark or psychic type Pokémon in his party, but he did have one that knew a few dark attacks.

"I choose you, Glalie!"

"Glaaa-lie!"

"Tell me something Freddy… Do ghost Pokémon ever experience fear?"

"What?"

"Glalie, **Dark Pulse**!"

Glalie blasted Dusknoir with his Dark Pulse attack and he instantly felt the effects. Dusknoir flew at Glalie and tried to hit him with a Fire Punch, but Glalie managed to outdistance him and continued to barrage him with Dark Pulse attacks until he fell.

"Well I can see you're not all talk… But the people of Kanto do over exaggerate when they call you the master of Omegamoah… You fear that Pokémon as much as everyone else, otherwise you would've probably already beat me."

Ash didn't have Omegamoah with him, and even if he did he wouldn't use him. He still didn't know if he could control him, and he didn't want to think of the damage he might do to Cerulean City, which had just been rebuilt. For this reason Ash, Gary, and Professor Oak had been hesitant to even let him out of the Omega Ball.

"I'll let you dwell on your thoughts later. Right now we're burning moonlight. Go Banette!"

As soon as Banette appeared from the darkness he raised his arms and blue balls of flame appeared around him. When he hurled them at Glalie he began to scream in pain.

"Will-O-Wisp! He's burning him!"

Banette opened his mouth and fired a huge stream of sludge at Glalie, at first Ash thought Freddy's Pokémon had thrown up, but then he realized it was a Gunk Shot attack.

"Hang in there Glalie, use your **Dark Pulse**!"

When Glalie fired his attack Banette used his Double Team and created a ridiculous amount of copies of himself. Glalie's Dark Pulse went through the wrong one. Each remaining Banette created a Shadow Ball, since it was impossible to tell which was the real one there was no way for Glalie to dodge the attack. In desperation Glalie tried using his Ice Beam attack, but there were still far too many copies of Banette to tell which was real. Banette finished Glalie off with a Thunderbolt.

_"Man… I really really really wish I had Noctowl right now…"_

If Ash had Noctowl then he could use Foresight to find which Banette was the real one and which ones were just illusions. Ash thought long and hard about which Pokémon he should use next, then he had the answer, or at least hoped he did.

"I just hope officer Jenny succeeded… Go Blastoise!"

"Blaaasst!"

"Interesting choice… Especially considering how I just defeated you last Pokémon."

Banette started charging another Thunderbolt.

"Blastoise, Protect!"

Blastoise raised the barrier in time to deflect Banette's attack. When it was over Blastoise looked like he was ready to attack, so Banette used his Double Team.

"Now I've got you! Blastoise, **Foresight**!"

"What?!"

Blastoise shot a red beam from his eyes that destroyed all the duplicates, leaving only the real Banette.

"A Blastoise that knows Foresight?!"

"Officer Jenny taught it to him. She figured it would be useful for spotting people who were trapped in a burning building, but for now I prefer its practical use. Blastoise, **Water Pulse**!"

Blastoise's attack was enough to send Banette spinning like a top. Banette tried to fire another Thunderbolt, but the Water Pulse must've left him confused since he fired entirely in the wrong direction, so Blastoise hit him with another Water Pulse. Banette seemed to regain his senses and stared charging energy.

"Blastoise, **Iron Defense**!"

Blastoise retreated into his shell, which began glowing. Banette fired a rapid barrage of Shadow Balls and Nightshade attacks, but Blastoise emerged from his shell unscathed.

"No finish him with your **Hydro Cannon**!"

Blastoise's attack sent Banette into the wall, still he pressed the attack until he was sure his opponent had been defeated.

"You're becoming quite an annoyance. Go Mismagius!"

"Okay you've spent roughly your whole life here in the mountains right? So how did you meet all these Pokémon, none of them are even native to this region."

"Explanations are best kept for later, for now we simply battle."

Mismagius fired a big ball of green energy, it must've been an Energy Ball because Blastoise let out a cry of pain.

"Blastoise, use you **Water Pulse**!"

Mismagius took the attack, but she kept her senses.

"Blastoise, **Hydro Pump**!"

It looked as though Blastoise's attack did a lot of damage, but Mismagius was still there. Mismagius started spinning around and glowing leaves that struck Blastoise to the ground. He must've taken more damage from his fight with Banette because he couldn't find the strength to get up.

Fortunately for Ash it didn't look like Mismagius could take much more. He'd take her out before that changed.

"Pikachu, think you're up to it?"

"Pika!"

"Okay, use your Thunderbolt!"

Mismagius was still soaked from Blastoise's attack, so Pikachu's electrical attacks did even more damage than normal. Mismagius retaliated with a rainbow colored beam of energy, but Pikachu was fast enough to dodge it.

"Pikachu, end this with your **Volt Tackle**!"

Pikachu covered his body with electricity and rammed into Mismagius. Mismagius let out a scream of pain and disappeared beneath the fog.

"I supposes I should congratulate you… Most people never make it this far… But there's no way your little electric rodent will be able to prevail against my oldest and dearest friend."

Freddy threw his arms out like he was a wizard summoning something.

"Gengar! Rise!"

Suddenly a big Gengar rose out from the fog.

"GEN-GAR!"

"Oh it just had to be that one… Then again there aren't a lot of ghost Pokémon."

"I met him in the mountains when he was just a Gastly. We were both outcasts driven from society, but together we survived. And he was the one who saved me the night my father did this to me…" said Freddy pointing to the scar on neck.

"And how did he do that?"

"Think of it as a reverse Giga Drain… Instead of stealing some of my energy he gave me some of his to heal my wound. And that isn't the only special power Gengar has learned.

Right before their eyes Gengar turned invisible, moments later Pikachu was hit with a Sucker Punch.

"Oh great… It wasn't bad enough that he has a full team of ghost Pokémon, now he's got one that can turn invisible. Pikachu, try a **Thunder Bolt**!"

Pikachu tried firing bolts of electricity in random directions, but none found what he was looking for, Finally Gengar appeared behind Pikachu and hit him with a Dark Pulse attack before quickly vanishing again.

"You may have had that Pikachu since you were ten years old, but Gengar has been with me since I was five."

"So what? That's only a five year difference!"

"You forget that I'm twenty one years old today."

"Oh right."

The battle wasn't going well at all. Gengar continued to use hit and run tactics against Pikachu, using one of his attacks and then vanishing again.

"_This is ridiculous… How do we fight something we can't see?"_

It was then that Ash remembered hearing once that when a Gengar was nearby the area always felt ten degrees colder.

"Pikachu, close your eyes and feel it out!"

"Pi-ka!"

Pikachu closed his eyes obediently; eyes weren't going to do any good against an opponent you couldn't see anyway. All his other senses were open, looking for even the slightest abnormality.

"Pi?"

Pikachu felt it getting colder behind him.

"Pi-ka-chu!"

Pikachu spun around and launched a Thunderbolt that struck Gengar right in the face. Gengar retaliated with a blast of Night Shade, but Pikachu countered with another Thunderbolt that caused an explosion when the two attacks collided. Gengar then started gathering energy and fired a Hyper Beam attack, Pikachu barely leapt out of the way in time.

"Pikachu, finish him with your Thunder!"

"Pi…ka… CHU!"

Pikachu blasted Gengar and sent him crashing to the ground.

For a moment Freddy just stood there, and then he just said plainly "I lose…"

Freddy went around tending to his injured Pokémon, as he did the fog started to disperse.

"As promised I'll keep my mouth shut about your fantasies… But don't think this victory means you're finished yet."

Freddy took a tape recorder out of his cloak and handed it to Ash. When he pressed the play button he recognized the voice of the man with the Black Charizard.

"If you're listening to this Ash, then let me be the first to congratulate you. You've successfully completed my gauntlet and have proved yourself an opponent worth adding to my reputation. Soon I will grace you with a Pokémon battle, but you won't find me as easy an adversary as the four opponents you have just defeated. I suggest you prepare yourself for what will most certainly be the most consequential battle of your life… I shall see you soon Ash… very soon."

Ash wondered if the last sentence of the tape was promise, a threat, or both.

"I've seen his Pokémon for myself." said Freddy "You have your work cut out for you."

"Any pointers?"

"Some people think you can ignore something and it will just go away… They hink they can just drown out their problems with drugs and alcohol… it doesn't work… You can't don't get rid of something by ignoring it… it just gets worse… The only way to conquer fear is to face it… I speak from experience… Three years ago this very night I went to face my father and grandparents… the people who had abandoned me…"

"And you killed them."

"That wasn't my original intent. They were the only family I had. I went there with the intention to make amends… But my 'dear' father slit my throat and they called me ghost… I knew from the beginning that something like that was probably going to happen, but I had to try."

"What about all the other people you've killed?"

"That's just an urban legend; I've never killed anyone else… My friends and I just scare away anyone who enters our territory. The point is that when you face the man with the Black Charizard your only hope will be to face your fear."

"Oh come on… does it have to be a riddle."

"What do you want from me? A poem?"

"Right now all I want is to get the heck out of here. Where are we?"

"We've been in the Cerulean Gym the whole time."

"Really? It's too dark to tell."

"You'll find your friends locked in their rooms safe and sound… Now I must go… Good luck… You're going to need it."

Without saying another word Freddy and his ghost Pokémon vanished into the darkness.


	12. Nightmares

Ash and the others didn't have time to think about the creepy night with Freddy Loomis, because there was still so much to do before the show, but every day after they were done rehearsing Ash went out to train his Pokémon so they'd be ready for the imminent battle with the Man with the Black Charizard. Ash was surprised that he hadn't been challenged yet, all the other trainers had come to challenge him on a daily basis, but all whole week had gone by since his battle with Freddy and there had been no further incidents. Ash made sure he didn't stay out too late, because he'd have to get up in the morning to rehearse with the others. He was singing and dancing much better than when they first started, but he and Misty had still been unable to do the scene where the prince and the youngest mermaid kiss.

"I'm starting to wonder if when Freddy told me to face my fears, he meant more than just the man with the Black Charizard."

It was only about a week before the first show that Simmona finally brought in the baby Lugia that Misty and her sisters said she had. For the first time since he met her Ash saw that Simmona had a much softer side, she was treating the little Lugia like it was her own child. When she gave him his instructions for the play she still acted like a choreographer/director but wasn't anywhere near as harsh with him as she had been with everyone else.

"Here's your part; you're the rarest Pokémon that lives with the four mermaid sisters, then one day the evil pirate Captain Black Eye comes along and kidnaps the mermaids in attempt to get to you, but the youngest mermaid tell you to find the Prince and convince him to come and save the day… Do you like it?"

Simmona's Lugia nodded with approval.

"Excellent! Now let's get to work!"

Ash and the others continued to rehearse all week. Soon there was just one night left before the show, but despite their best efforts there was still one problem that hadn't been solved.

"Okay you two can't put this off any longer. You have to kiss!"

"Why?" asked Misty.

"Because it's a musical! Dear god, somebody get this girl the manual." said Violet.

"Musicals don't have manuals, they have scripts." said Lily.

"Okay everyone let's all take a deep breath and calm down!"

"_I guess we can't put this off any longer…"_

"Ash… Misty… We're not mad at you, but the first show is tomorrow." said Daisy "It's just a play… So why won't you two just kiss? Is there a specific reason, or is it just because you don't want to?"

Ash and Misty's faces turned pink.

"Okay don't answer that… Misty what's the problem?"

Deep down Ash wondered if Misty was just as embarrassed as he was, or if she simply didn't want to kiss him.

"I think you already know the answer to that… I've never kissed anyone, let alone in front of a whole room of people."

"Ditto." said Ash.

"Okay think of it this way… Even if you kiss each other in front of a whole crowd of people, it's just a play… so there is absolutely nothing anyone can say about it."

"But they'll still be looking at us…"

"Then just go to your happy place."

"Here's another thought…" said Simmona "Do it, or I'll lock you two in an abandoned bathroom somewhere and leave you to die!"

Ash and Misty resolved that they'd simply have to do it tomorrow, no matter how embarrassing it might be. It was the only way to get the others to shut up about it.

"I have just one question… Why exactly does Captain Black-Eye want the baby Lugia anyway? You know… outside the obvious."

"Uh…"

Apparently Misty's sisters hadn't thought of that when they were writing the story.

"Uh he wants… he wants to…"

Brock, who was still dressed in his costume, stood up to answer the question, doing so in the same pirate accent he would use in the show.

"To sail to the ends of the earth and use its powers to finally free me father Bootstrap Eye!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Misty.

"I think this pirate outfit is starting to go to my head."

Ash found it very hard to sleep that night. His mind was divided between the show tomorrow, the man with the Black Charizard, and the prospect that tomorrow he'd have to kiss Misty in front of a whole room of people.

"Pika-chu."

"Sorry Pikachu… I've got a lot on my mind."

"Pi-ka-pi Pika-chu pi-pi-pi?"

Pikachu did his best impressions of both Ash and Misty, and then started making kissy faces.

"Yes, that among other things."

"Pika-chu Pi-pi-pi-ka?"

Before finishing his sentence Pikachu wore an amused grin on his face.

"Pi-ka-chu…"

"Tell me… Is it easier for Pokémon to be open with their feelings than it is for us?"

"Pika-chu-pika."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

From the start of his Pokémon journey Ash could tell that Pikachu liked Misty. Now he was wondering if after all this time Pikachu was trying to bring them together.

"Is that what you guys are trying to do?" he asked smiling "Make Misty and me into a couple."

"Pi-ka."

Ash was sure his best friend had just said, "maybe."

For awhile Ash just sat there thinking about everything that loomed ahead of him, until finally he fell fast asleep, and began to dream.

"You think you're so great because you beat Giovanni? Big deal! I could've done that with one Pokémon!"

"Cynthia?! Is that you?"

Suddenly Ash heard another voice, but this time it belonged to Gary.

"You were always one step behind me… What makes you think you're a match for the Man with the Black Charizard?"

Next Ash heard Paul.

"You think he'll battle you with honor, or whatever it is you call it?! You're even more pathetic than I remember! You might as well be wearing a sign that says, Stomp me!"

The next voices Ash heard were two that he never expected to hear… It was his own mother and Professor Oak.

"Your father was a real man! You could never fill his shoes!"

"You think you can become the best Pokémon trainer in the world… Welcome to planet Earth Ash Ketchum, it's a big world, and over a billion other people have said the same thing as you."

Ash began to hear multiple voices, all taunting him at once. Each voice belonged to a Gym Leader he had lost to at one point during his Pokémon journey.

"You're just a big baby."

"You have one of the most powerful Pokémon in the world, but you're too scared to use it. How pathetic."

"You couldn't even beat my Miltank."

"He'll burn you to ashes!"

"You don't stand a chance!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

For a moment everything was quiet, and then Ash saw two glowing blue eyes emerge from the darkness, they were quickly followed by the unmistakable outline of Omegamoah. The beast emerged from the darkness and towered over him.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

"Ash! Wake up! Wake up!"

Ash was relieved to find himself in his own room.

"Misty? Sorry… just a bad dream."

"Another horror icon?"

"Not exactly…"

"Well the others sent me to get you up. I suggest you hurry up and shower and eat breakfast, don't forget the show starts at noon."

Until he agreed to help Misty and her sisters do their musical, Ash had never had so much coffee in his life. They always got up bright and early to rehearse, but today it was dark and rainy. The weather report said it was going to rain all day.

"That only means people won't have anything else to do today." said Daisy "They'll all come to the show."

"_Great… That many more people watching me…"_

"Don't forget, you two **have** to kiss today." said Violet.

"Okay…"

"I mean it… You two are going to kiss and you will like it!"

"Alright we get it!" said Misty.

Time was going by really quick today, and Ash could feel in his bones that something wasn't right.

"Nervous?" asked Brock.

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry about it… Even Simmona complimented you the other day."

"It's not that…"

"Oh right… Well I wouldn't worry about it… It's just a play so no one can say anything about it… besides… you might like it."

The fact that he had never done anything like this before and the thought that he'd actually be kissing Misty in the near future weren't the only things that were on Ash's mind. He still hadn't been able to get those voices from his nightmare out of his head. Then he remembered what Freddy had told him the other night.

"_The only way to conquer fear is to face it…"_

"Brock… How much time do we have?"

"Uh… The show doesn't start for about an hour."

"Good… I need to make a phone call…"


	13. Show Time

"Ten minutes to go! Is everybody ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." said Ash.

"I hope so. This show's sold out."

"Oh great… A full audience here to watch me botch it…"

"You'll be fine." said Misty "We've practiced this a million times."

"Yes, but this is the first time we've done it with everyone watching."

"Just do what you did in rehearsal, and if they bother you that much just pretend they're not there, or picture them in their underwear."

Misty wasn't afraid, then again she had done this before.

"_Just get through this… and at the end of the show you get to kiss her."_

Deep down Ash really did want to kiss Misty, but he never admitted that to the others.

"Remember guys; if you mess up then just improvise, no one in the audience knows the script. And you two **have** to kiss this time!"

"Okay!"

"Alright! Let's do this thing!"

The lights dimmed and Simmona's voice came on over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the new Cerulean Gym and this afternoon's performance by the famous Cerulean Sisters and friends. I have a few brief announcements before we get underway. The use of flash photography or the recording of this show by any means, audio or visual, is prohibited by management. Please remember that the Cerulean Gym is a no-smoking zone. Please take this time to notice the exit nearest your seat and silence any cell phones or electrical devices on your person."

"That's our cue girls." said Daisy "Let's break a leg!"

"Now without further ado… We are pleased to present the Cerulean Sister's Magical Mermaid Musical! Featuring Kanto's Regional Pokémon League Champion: Ash Ketchum as the Prince!"

"_Oh she just had to say my name…" _

"Once upon a time in beautiful and peaceful lagoon there lived many water Pokémon, who spent their days in happy merriment with their friends, the four mermaid sisters!"

Misty, Daisy, Violet, and Lily all dove in from the waterfalls on the four sides of the pool and started singing a happy song about their lives with the water Pokémon.

"But the mermaid sisters also had a very important mission, to safeguard the life of the lagoon's only baby Lugia."

For their next piece Misty and her sisters sang about how much they loved the baby Lugia and would do anything to protect it as it danced in the water with them. As he listened to them sing Ash became more and more convinced that they could've been actual mermaids. He was so caught up that he forgot that he and Pikachu would make their big entrance and do a solo in the next scene.

"Oh boy…"

"Meanwhile in a nearby kingdom there lived a handsome Prince, and although he had everything his heart desired, his life was very lonely, his only friends were his Pokémon."

Ash reluctantly walked onto the artificial scenery; much to his surprise he got a round of applause instead of having everyone laugh at him.

"_Whoa… stage fright… just imagine everyone in their underwear… Holy crap it's my mom! Okay just pretend it's another Pokémon battle… one where you sing and dance."_

Over the course of the next couple minutes Ash heard someone sing about how lonely he was and how he would give all his riches away if he could find someone to share his life with. It took the applause of the audience for him to realize that the voice was his own.

"Pikachu… I think we can do this…" he whispered.

"On a fateful moonlit night the prince went for a walk, and he heard someone singing."

"That sound…" said Ash "It sounds like heavenly angels rejoicing in the presence of the almighty…"

"The Prince was drawn to the shore. Low and behold there was the youngest of the four mermaid sisters singing upon the beach, wondering what sort of world and wonders lay beyond the lagoon that she and her three sisters called home."

Now it was Misty's turn to do a solo. Ash could only imagine how jealous her sisters probably were; then again it would be their own fault for making the youngest mermaid the female protagonist of this story.

"Her beauty is as unparallel as her voice! She doth make angels and all other creatures envious in her wake. Surely no mortal woman could with her such beauty carry. It seems the tales of my subjects speak the truth; there are mermaids in this lagoon. But though this is beauty is it barbed? I have been told by many that creatures of such divine sight have lured countless unworthy men to a watery grave… My heart compels me to chance it, and so I rush toward my fate, be it good or ill…"

Ash was amazed he had actually remembered that paragraph word for word. He couldn't count how many times he had said it wrong in rehearsal.

"It was then that the young mermaid became aware of her company. Having lived in the lagoon her whole life she was not accustomed with people from the land, though she had seen them before she had never seen one as comely as the man before her."

"_Of course not…"_ thought Ash _"I must be royal, because I'm not covered in crap. That's what the peasants get for living in an age with no indoor plumbing."_

"What man is this who trespasses upon my peaceful reflection?"

"I apologize fair maiden of the waters. It is I, the Prince. I have carried the burden of being heir to this kingdom since my birth, and yet in all my years I have never seen such beauty as yours."

"You use your tongue well, but do your words carry honesty?"

"I am in earnest. I have never seen such a sight in all the land."

"Perhaps that it because my domain is the water."

"Is it also the domain of any who dare look upon such beauty?"

"Only those who dare threaten the sanctity of our lagoon, and the safety of the water Pokémon who live here."

"Have no fear of me young maiden, I am merely a troubled heir wandering around lost in his thoughts. Have I your permission to stay and reflect?"

"I'd rather you told me about this kingdom of yours."

"For many nights the Prince came down to the lagoon and told the youngest mermaid about his kingdom on the land. Even though he had seen all there was to see, she found his tales most interesting. It wasn't long before the Prince and the mermaid realized that they were deeply in love."

For the next song Ash and Misty sang a duet about how truly and deeply they, that is to say the Prince and the mermaid, were in love. When they were done the audience burst into applause.

"Now was that so hard?" whispered Misty.

"No, the hard part is in the next act."

"Ladies and gentlemen it's time for a brief intermission." said Simmona "Please take this opportunity to stretch your legs, get some snacks or drinks, or heed nature's call if you need to, and we'll be back in fifteen minutes with Act Two."

"_Yes… Then the real fun will begin…"_


	14. The Game Begins

The waiting was always the hardest part. No one knew he was there; he had gotten in and out of buildings infinitely more secure than the new Cerulean Gym without anyone being aware, and if anyone ever did see him they didn't live long enough to tell about it. Getting into a place like the Cerulean Gym didn't require any bloodshed, but the goal of his mission did. He could still hear Giovanni's complaints.

"_I pay you to break this little brat, and you send a bunch of underground trainers who can't even fight their way out of a wet paper bag?!"_

"_I set a bar for the boy… Since he beat those four he probably thinks he can beat me… Rest assured when I tell you that he doesn't even have a prayer… I've just been building up his confidence before I crush him, which should make your revenge all the sweeter."_

"… _I like the way you think."_

"_Just makes sure you do it right. Whenever I'm having a really pissy day, which is every day! I want to be able to say, at least my life doesn't suck as bad as this mother fucker!"_

Giovanni was probably sitting in his cell right now planning on escaping and rebuilding Team Rocket with Omegamoah back in his possession. But the Man with the Black Charizard had other plans.

"That was so awesome! They totally loved you two!" said Daisy.

"Are you sure?" asked Ash.

"That's what our people working the crowd told us."

"Yeah, they said you were awesome!" said Lily.

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Would we lie?" asked Violet.

"That question doesn't deserve an answer." said Misty.

"Look, you were great, couldn't you hear the applause?"

"Well… there was that."

"But we're only halfway through the show. Now remember after you defeat Brock in the swordfight, Misty transforms into a human being having done her duty to protect the baby Lugia, then you two **have** to kiss!"

"Okay! We get it!"

"Alright, intermission is almost over… Where's Brock?"

"I sent him down to check on the pool heater. It was feeling a little warm back there and I didn't want a repeat of what happened that night with Barbra."

"Ash and Misty, get ready to take your positions. You're on first."

"First one question… How are the pirates supposed to get a ship into a lagoon?"

"They just sail there, duh."

"A lagoon by definition is a body of sea water separated from the rest of the sea by some kind of barrier."

"Uh… We'll fix that later with a rewrite."

Undercover of darkness Ash and Misty snuck back onto the artificial scenery in the pool.

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen. When last we left them the Prince and the mermaid they had realized how truly and deeply they had fallen in love, but deep down the mermaid knew she was bound not only by the sea, but by her duty to protect the baby Lugia."

Suddenly there was a loud boom coming from outside.

"What the heck was that?" whispered Ash.

"It's probably just the storm outside. Just improvise."

"I think I hear a storm approaching." said Ash getting back into character "I should go."

"I wish I could go with you, but I am bound by my duty to the Pokémon of this lagoon."

"_That and because you're a mermaid, and if you try to leave the water you'll die."_

"If you cannot come with me then for the rest of my nights I will come to you, this I swear on the blood of my heart."

"Blood of his heart? We definitely need to rewrite the script before the next show." said Lily.

Ash left the stage and Misty began singing a solo about how she, that is to say the mermaid, was conflicted between her duty to her sisters, the Pokémon of the lagoon, and her love of the Prince.

"Where are the extras and Brock? It's almost time for them to go on."

Ash went down to the room where the pool's heater was and found Brock and the extras gagged and tied up in chains.

"What the hell?!"

Ash knew this could mean only one thing.

"He's here!"

"But being torn between love and duty was the least of the young mermaid's problems, because while she and her sisters slept the sanctuary of their lagoon was about to be shattered by Captain Black-Eye and his gang of Pokémon poaching pirates!"

No one came onto the stage.

"The sanctuary of their lagoon was about to be shattered by Captain Black-Eye and his gang of Pokémon poaching pirates!"

The person who came walking out of the darkness and onto the diving board wasn't dressed like a pirate.

"Oh my god…"

"Is that…"

"IT'S THE MAN WITH THE BLACK CHARIZARD!"

He jumped off the diving board and landed into the pool with a loud splash. He had implanted a rebreather into his mask for occasions like this.. Hand to hand combat underwater would be like trying to fight in zero gravity, so the water Pokémon charging at him through the water would have an unbeatable advantage, but he never played fair. When the water Pokémon got too close he threw the makeshift net bombs he had constructed. When he came to the girls he just took out his knife and pointed to the surface.

"Uh… Ladies and gentlemen this is not part of the show… please help."

The man with the Black Charizard activated the voice amplifier inside his mask so everyone could hear what he said when he broke the surface.

"Good afternoon everyone, you came here today thinking you would watch a musical… but I have something a lot more interesting planned for you… The fall of Ash Ketchum."

Ash came jumping into the pool.

"So glad you could join us boy. As promised it's time for our little game."

"Let them go you sicko, your fight is with me!"

"Actually no one is going anywhere… at least not until after our battle. Those little explosions you heard earlier were custom detonators covering the entrances and exits of the building in six feet of solid ice. But I've also planted some explosives all around the building, if you don't play, or if anyone inside or outside the gym tries to interfere, I will detonate them and kill everyone here."

"Wouldn't that kill you too you idiot?"

In the blink of an eye he had his knife over Lily's throat.

"You and your sisters be as quiet as possible, or I'll stick it through your rear-end first."

The girls didn't even open their mouths to respond.

"As I was saying, my Pokémon can teleport out of here… You on the other hand are trapped like mice in a cage."

Just then Ash noticed there were some cameras placed around the stage.

"That's right… smile… Not only is my employer watching, but the whole world as well… So tell me… are you going to face me, or are you going to die and have the blood of all the people here on your hands?"

"Alright… I'll kick your butt and then you let these people go!"

"Yes… Beat me in a six on six Pokémon battle with no time limit and I'll go home quietly and no one gets hurt… when you lose… you will surrender Omegamoah… And there's one more thing I forgot to mention."

Before anyone could say anything he strapped something Misty's chest and stuck a gag in her mouth.

"Misty!"

"Whenever one of your Pokémon faints the device she's wearing will send an electric shock through her body, every time that happens the voltage spikes. After the sixth time it will be fatal… you lose… she dies."

"Not on your life! Let her go!"

"Well if you don't like it… I can kill her right now…"

"NO!"

"Which is it… which is it?"


	15. Augmented Pokémon

Despite the fact that the man with the Black Charizard had threatened to kill everybody, some of the boys in the audience were actually excited to see how this would turn out.

"I am so posting this online."

"Dude, the man already has cameras so the whole world is watching."

"Aw crap…"

"Remember, we'll each use six Pokémon with no time limit… that is assuming you can even get past the first. But I know you'll try."

"I know you told us not to talk… but… What exactly is the gag for?"

"That's for her to bite on. If you're going to get shocked to death I'm sure she doesn't want to rip her tongue off as well."

"Oh I'm sure she really appreciates it…" said Daisy.

Without warning a huge knife dug into the glass over their heads.

"Any other comments?"

"No…"

"Excellent… Now let's begin… And since you're at such a disadvantage Ash… I'll even go first."

Ash had no idea what Pokémon the man with the Black Charizard would use, outside the obvious. He wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible, if he knew what he'd be up against then he could choose a Pokémon that would be strong against it. And to be honest, he didn't really want it to come to being six on six.

"I choose Kabutops!"

The Kabutops that appeared on the field had a thicker exoskeleton than usual and it's sickles looked sharper. But most striking of all were the scars all across its body.

"I'm no expert on fossilized Pokémon, but that thing looks like its on steroids!"

"All my Pokémon have gone through experimental augmentations to make them more powerful, Kabutops here is just one of the few that proved strong enough to survive the process."

"What do you mean survive?"

"What do you think?"

"You mean to tell me you put your Pokémon through a whole bunch of experiments and didn't care if they lived or died?!"

"The risks are worth the benefits, as you'll soon see. You want to be the world's greatest Pokémon trainer Ash? How many other people do you think have said that? This is survival of the fittest and Pokémon themselves are the same way, no one ever got to be a champion using weak Pokémon. The weak die and the strong survive. That's the ugly truth Ash Ketchum and it's high time you learn it."

"The only thing I've learned is how sick you are! And I'm going to put you in your place!"

Ash certainly had the crowd on his side, but the man with the Black Charizard didn't care. Ash was going to need a lot more than fans to win this battle.

"Are you going to stand there all day making speeches or are we going to battle?"

"You seem eager to lose sicko… I've got just the Pokémon to deal with that Kabutops of yours! Go Torterra!"

Torterra appeared and let out a loud roar.

If the Man with the Black Charizard didn't look worried.

"In case you've forgotten, your Kabutops is a half rock half water type. Torterra will tear him apart!"

"If it can really do that, then by all means use it."

"Torterra, use your **Energy Ball**!"

Torterra opened his mouth and fired a green ball of energy at Kabutops. Ash expected the shellfish Pokémon to jump out of the way, but it just stood its ground and took the attack.

"Yeah! Direct hit!"

But instead of collapsing in pain Kabutops stood strong, acting like it didn't even feel the attack.

"What?"

Like Ash said, Kabutops was a half rock and half water type. Torterra's Energy Ball should have done 4.5 times as much damage as it normally did, but Kabutops didn't even flinch.

"Torterra, try your **Seed Bomb**!"

Torterra opened his mouth and fired multiple glowing seeds at Kabutops. All the seeds exploded on impact, but once again Kabutops wasn't fazed.

"That's right… Have your fun."

Torterra tried using his Leaf Storm and Solar Beam next, but even these attacks didn't seem to do any damage.

"Now it's my turn…"

Kabutops had stood like a statue for the whole match, now it looked like an angry Tauros ready to charge.

"Kabutops, **Ice Beam**!"

"Oh no…"

Before Torterra could move, Kabutops opened its mouth and fired a fierce Ice Beam from its mouth that froze Torterra on spot.

"One down… five to go… and I think you know what that means…"

Misty shook violently and let out a choked scream.

"Misty!"

"Calm down kid… Until five more of your Pokémon faint it will only be painful and not fatal. But since I'm feeling generous I'll make you deal… If you surrender now and tell me where Omegamoah is I'll let her go…"

"_He's lying... According to Brock this is the kind of guy who would gladly look you in the eye while stabbing you in the back…He'll kill Misty the minute I divulge any information… But I've got to be careful… That Kabutops is dynamite."_

"I choose you, Blastoise!"

"Blaaaasst!"

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"Blastoise, use your **Flash Cannon**!"

Blastoise fired silver beams from his cannons that stuck Kabutops dead on, but just Torterra's attacks it didn't seem to do much damage at all.

"Oh come on! Kabutops is half rock type! He should be weak against steel attacks!"

"Precisely the reason I put him through the augmentation process to make them less effective… Kabutops, attack with **Giga Drain**!"

"Oh crap…"

Kabutops' sickles started glowing green and fired beams of energy that wrapped around Blastoise like a lasso. Energy flew from Blastoise, down the beams, and into Kabutops.

"I've got to do something… but Blastoise's water attacks won't do anything… What else did Officer Jenny teach it? Wait a minute… Blastoise, use your **Outrage**!"

Blastoise fired two huge bursts of energy from his cannons, though the attack didn't seem to do much damage it was enough to knock Kabutops loose.

"I'd say I'm impressed, but I doubt you deserve the credit for teaching Blastoise the wide variety of attacks it knows…"

"I didn't have time to… He was needed elsewhere."

"A good trainer never lets his best Pokémon out of his sight… That's probably why you've never won a tournament until recently. You've been too busy playing with weaker Pokémon…"

"None of my Pokémon are weak, and unlike you I actually care about them!"

"If that's the case you might as well give up now and spare them the pain."

"You'd like me to crack, you're just a bully, and I'm going to beat you!"

He laughed.

"Now that would be something… Kabutops, use your **Night Slash**!"

Kabutops started charging at Blastoise and as he did his sickles began glowing with a red aura.

"Blastoise, **Iron Defense**!"

Blastoise retreated into his shell and it started to glow, but even so Kabutops inflicted a deep cut across the surface of it, causing Blastoise to come out screaming in pain.

"You might want to get that buffed out when we're done here. Kabutops, finish it with another **Giga Drain**!"

Once again Kabutops caught Blastoise in two streams of energy and started to drain him. Blastoise was still in pain from the Night Slash and couldn't fight back. After a few moments Blastoise collapsed to the ground.

"As you can see the benefits of the augmentation process are worth the risks… And if one Pokémon doesn't survive the process I can just find one that can."

"Do your Pokémon really mean so little to you?!"

"You shouldn't get so attached to things Ketchum; you'll only find yourself in world of pain."

Misty let out another choked scream as the device on her chest shocked her.

"Let her go!"

"I will… As soon as you admit defeat and tell me where I can find Omegamoah…"

Ash had already lost two of his Pokémon and the man with the Black Charizard hadn't lost any, and the Kabutops he had out didn't seem to have any weaknesses at all thanks to all the cruel things he had done to it. But Ash knew he couldn't give up, especially not in front of the entire world. Putting all the people who looked up to him aside, there was no telling what kind of damage a person like this would do with Omegamoah.

"You can forget it…"

"Suit yourself… just remember… four more Pokémon and your little girlfriend here will be fried to a crisp."


	16. Ash Snaps

No one said it was going to be easy. Ash had been in tight spots before, but he had to admit that this was worse. He had already lost two of his Pokémon and the man with the Black Charizard hadn't lost any, and the Kabutops he had used looked like it had hardly broken a sweat.

"He took out Torterra and Blastoise… It knows ice attacks and I don't want to use Pikachu just yet… and door number six is only a last resort… a very last resort… that just leaves you… Go Charizard!"

"VROOOOOOO!"

"You call that a Charizard?"

"_This isn't good… Charizard is one of Ash's best Pokémon, but this guy doesn't seem to care."_

"If you manage to defeat five of my Pokémon I'll show you what a real Charizard looks like, but let's be honest, that isn't going to happen. Kabutops, **Water Pulse**!"

"Charizard, **Fly**!"

Charizard barely got off the ground in time to dodge Kabutops' attack.

"Charizard, counter with your **Solar Beam**!"

Charizard stayed in the air to keep distance between himself and Kabutops so he could dodge his attacks and counter with his own, but Kabutops always either jumped out of the way or dove underwater, and the attacks that hit didn't seem to do much damage at all.

"_This is crazy! I can't win even with an attack type advantage."_

"You're just going to have to accept the hopelessness of the situation boy. Kabutops, use your **Aqua Jet**!"

Kabutops stretched out his sickles and started spinning around and around, its body was enveloped in water, then he shot into the air at Charizard and rammed into him.

"Charizard!"

Charizard just barely regained his senses in time to avoid hitting the water in the pool, it was then in desperation that he fired an Overheat attack, but Kabutops jumped right through it.

"Kabutops, **Ice Beam**!"

Kabutops' beam hit one of Charizard's wings. Unable to maintain flight he crashed on one of the artificial rocks. After that Kabutops came stomping down on top of him. Ash didn't need a referee to tell him that Charizard was out of the fight.

"Pitiful excuse of a Charizard… but it is your little girlfriend that will pay for your inability to train it…"

Once again Misty thrashed around with her screams being choked by the gag she was wearing.

"Stop it! What did she ever do to you?!"

"My employer said he wanted to see you suffer… I've been watching you for some time Ash Ketchum, and you can deal with your own pain just fine… but you can't stand to see the ones you care about suffering… and the worst part is there is nothing you can do about it…"

"I'm going to stop you…"

Ash reached for his next Poké Ball, he knew that like Charizard this one would be at a huge disadvantage, but he had no choice.

"Go Garchomp!"

"GAAAAAAR!"

"Are you sure you want to do that? Three more Pokémon and its game over."

"I've had enough! Garchomp, use your **Dragon Pulse**!"

Garchomp opened his mouth and fired a turquoise ball of energy from it, but Kabutops jumped into the air and dodged it.

"Kabutops, **Ice Beam**!"

"Garchomp, dodge it!"

Garchomp was quick, but that sad truth was that he didn't have much room to run. The artificial rock that Ash and the man with the Black Charizard were battling on wasn't very big and it was surrounded by water. Garchomp continued to unleash a barrage of Dragon Pulse attacks, but the ones that managed to hit Kabutops didn't do much damage at all.

"Is it sinking in yet? You can't win…"

"Shut up!"

"I can see it in your eyes boy… You know how helpless you and your Pokémon are against mine…"

"I don't care! I'll never run from a Pokémon battle… or from you…"

"Strong words boy… but your pride will only cost y the little mermaid here her life."

"No way! Not on my watch! Garchomp, **Draco Meteor**!"

Garchomp fired an orange ball of energy into the air and it exploded, releasing many orbs that came raining down upon Kabutops. Before the smoke cleared a beam of energy came flying out of it and froze Garchomp on the spot.

"That's four down… two to go."

Misty's choked screams of agony and the Man with the Black Charizard's taunts were like a demon in Ash's head. Four of his Pokémon had been beaten effortlessly by this evil Kabutops, and as much as he hated to admit it, Ash knew this was only the tip of the iceberg.

"I suggest you try harder… I'm pretty sure none of the parents here want their children to watch someone die, oh wait it's not just them… it's the entire world."

"Pikachu, it's up to you!"

"Pika!"

"Pikachu? You know Ketchum, most people save their best Pokémon for last… Not that it makes any difference in this case."

"_Err… That Kabutops has to be getting weak… It's battled Torterra, Blastoise, Charizard, and Garchomp… But even if I beat it I'll still have to fight five more Pokémon… But we've got to try… for Misty."_

"Kabutops, use your **Mud Shot**!"

"Pikachu, dodge it with your **Agility**!"

Pikachu managed to run fast enough to evade Kabutops' attacks and got in close.

"Now hit him with your **Volt Tackle**!"

Pikachu charged at Kabutops and rammed into his chest.

"Now hit him with an **Iron Tail**!"

Pikachu's tail started to glow and he smacked Kabutops in the head with it. The beast stumbled back a couple steps. For a moment it looked like Pikachu had won, but it was clear that he had only succeeded in making Kabutops angry.

"Pika-chu!"

Desperate to save Misty Pikachu tried blasting Kabutops with a barrage of Thunderbolt attacks, but the beast deflected them with his sickles.

"This is crazy! Pikachu, use your **Thunder**, full power!"

"Pi… ka… chu!"

"Kabutops, counter with your **Thunder**!"

"What!?"

Kabutops' body started to crackle with electricity, then the it raised its sickles and fired a huge burst of electricity that collided with Pikachu's.

"But that's impossible! Kabutops doesn't have a Thunder attack!"

"I guess I forgot to mention…The augmentation experiments I've put my Pokémon through have also allowed them to learn attacks they would have never been able to learn otherwise. Anything to tip the odds in my favor…"

For a moment the two attacks were locked, then Kabutops changed the position of his sickles and the poured more energy into the blast.

"NO!"

Slowly but surely the attack moved toward Pikachu and then enveloped him.

"PIKA!"

Pikachu screamed as Kabutops' attack overloaded his own, and then there was huge explosion that rocked the entire room. When it was over Pikachu lay on the ground. He struggled with all his might to get up, but it was no use.

"That's number five…"

Misty screamed even louder than before.

"So this is great regional champion of Kanto… what a laugh…"

Ash could hear the whispered exclamations of all the people in the audience; it didn't take long for him to remember that the whole world was watching as well.

"One more Pokémon and the shock will be fatal… This is your last chance Ketchum… if you surrender now and tell me where Omegamoah is I'll let you all go free…"

"How do I know you won't just kill her anyway?"

"You're just going to have to trust me…"

"_Trust him? That's like a Sharpedo saying, pet me."_

Ash did have one Pokémon left, but he had hoped he wouldn't need it. Every other possible situation he could think of in his mind ended with Misty getting killed, but if he did use it then there was no telling what would happen to him or everyone else here.

"_I can't…"_

"_I have to…"_

"Any day now…"

All Ash's other Pokémon had been beaten effortlessly. Even if he defeated Kabutops the Man with the Black Charizard would still have five more Pokémon to use. But would any of those five Pokémon make the slightest difference? Would anything make a difference? What if Ash lost control, what if he couldn't get control at all? It would cost him not only his reputation as Pokémon trainer; it would cost him his life and the lives of everyone else here.

"_Misty…"_

One look at Misty's eyes was all it took, and then something in Ash's mind just snapped. He didn't care about his reputation as Pokémon trainer, he didn't care if everyone hated him for what he was about to do, he didn't care about the people in the audience, he didn't care about his own life, he didn't care about anything! Nothing mattered except Misty.

"_I won't let you die Misty… I won't!"_

"You try my patience boy… are you going to tell me where Omegamoah is or not?"

The man with the Black Charizard noticed that Ash pulled out a black and purple Poké Ball.

"Uh guys… What's that?"

"I hope it's not what I think it is!"

"You want to meet Omegamoah so badly?"

"Gasp!"

"He wouldn't! Would he?" asked Lily.

"Why don't you meet him right here, right now?"

"He would…" said Daisy.

Everyone who was watching the scene unfold wanted to run, but they just couldn't get their legs to move. If the man with the Black Charizard felt any fear at all then he wasn't showing it.

"I CHOOSE YOU… OMEGAMOAH!"

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"


	17. The Cavalry is Huge

"This is gonna provoke some **very** angry emails… If we live." said Violet.

"It's him mommy! It's Omegamoah!"

"It's Omegamoah!"

"Huh? Kind of short isn't he?"

"This is the Pokémon that destroyed our town? No way! They told me Omegamoah was a giant!"

When last anyone had seen Omegamoah he had been over a hundred and sixty feet tall. At the moment he stood in the center of the pool only about fifteen feet tall. He looked around the room apparently confused.

"What did you do to him? Last I checked Omegamoah was over ten times as big this creature."

"It's the Omega Ball. When I used it to capture him it shrunk him."

As soon as Omegamoah heard Ash's voice he jerked his head in his direction.

"Oh boy…"

Omegamoah slowly stepped toward Ash, showed his teeth, and growled.

"_What have I done?"_

For a long moment Omegamoah just stared at Ash.

"Gyaaaaargh…"

"Pika-pi-pikachu."

As weak as Pikachu was from the fight, he forced himself to get in-between Ash and Omegamoah, who looked like he recognized Pikachu as well, but for some reason he hadn't attacked yet.

"Geeeeeya…"

"Pi-pi-pi."

"Graaaaaaoooo…"

About every Pokémon trainer in the world was watching the battle unfold, including the former Rocket trio.

"Meowth, what's going on?"

"What are you asking me for?"

"You're a Pokémon; tell us what are they saying."

"Alright… Uh… I might be paraphrasing… but… I think he's asking Pikachu who they are."

"What? Why would Omegamoah ask that? Why wouldn't he know who captured him?"

"I don't know, but from what I gather he can remember them, but not who they are. He's asking Pikachu if he's a friend or an enemy… Naturally, Pikachu is telling Omegamoah that they're friends."

When Pikachu finished talking Omegamoah backed off a little bit.

"What now?"

"He's apologizing. He's saying something about falling on his head and losing his memory."

"He did take a big fall after that massive Thunder attack."

Pikachu started explaining the situation to Omegamoah, when he was done he pointed at the Man with the Black Charizard.

"Any day now…"

Pikachu gave Ash a thumbs up.

"Alright Omegamoah, let's see what you're made of."

True Omegamoah had the ability to adapt to whatever he fought, but the Man with the Black Charizard knew that in his base form he was a half dragon half dark type. And if there were two things that dark Pokémon hated it was fighting and bug attacks.

"Kabutops, use your **X-Scissor**!"

Kabutops' sickles started to glow as he charged toward Omegamoah. Ash was about to shout out a command to Omegamoah, but stopped when he remembered that he, Professor Oak, and Gary hadn't covered that part.

"_Okay… come on… what are Omegamoah's attacks?"_

Kabutops was charging so fast that he didn't notice Omegamoah's hands glowing. He was just on top of the creature and ready to strike when suddenly…

WHAM!

Omegamoah punched Kabutops in the gut. Not only did the creature cry out in pain as it flew to the end of the pool, but when it tried to get up it fell right back down and coughed up some blood. For about five minutes everything was quiet, but it was clear Kabutops wasn't getting up.

"Did you see that?! Tell me you saw that!"

"How would I have missed that?"

"After all the trouble his other Pokémon went through trying to beat that thing, he does it in one blow!"

Before anyone could say or do anything Omegamoah charged over with what must've been an Extreme Speed attack, picked up Misty, and tore off the device that was strapped to her chest using his claws.

The Man with the Black Charizard pressed the button on his wrist to set off the device, but Omegamoah looked like he didn't feel the shock at all and just crushed the device beneath his foot.

"Misty! Are you okay?!"

"All things considered…" she said taking the gag out of her mouth "I guess I should be glad to be alive."

"I'm so sorry… I did my best but that thing was unstoppable."

"It's okay… somehow I knew you'd save me… Like Romeo once said to Juliet, Alack there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity."

"Uh… What?"

"Translated… love conquers all. Now do me another huge favor and kick his ass."

"It will be my pleasure… Wait, what was that first part?"

"Most impressive Ketchum… But don't forget that I still have bombs planted all over this building, so our battle is still on."

"Well then I hope you're ready to get bulldozed, because now we've got our game on!"

"I still have five Pokémon left and Kabutops was the weakest."

"Bring it."

"Very well… Let's go Gyarados!"

The Gyarados that appeared in the pool had scars all over its body, some of which it had obviously received in battle and the rest from the experiments the man with the Black Charizard had put it through. Its scales looked a lot rougher than usual and its teeth were a lot sharper, but the thing that really got Ash was the eyes. The creature had the same bloodshot eyes as Kabutops, full of nothing but pain and anger.

"Gyarados, **Hyper Beam** attack!"

Gyarados opened his mouth and fired a bigger than average Hyper Beam, but Omegamoah used Extreme Speed to dodge it and charged toward Gyarados.

"Whoa, the big guy is really quick when he needs to be."

"Okay… he must know some kind of electric attack… Omegamoah, use your **Thunder Fang**!"

Omegamoah rushed over to Gyarados and sank his electrified teeth into the creature's skin. Gyarados screamed in pain and in no time at all blood came spewing out of his wounds.

"That's enough!"

Omegamoah dropped Gyarados and let him fall into the pool.

"I should've known that overgrown barracuda wasn't up to much…"

"Scared yet?" asked Ash.

Omegamoah may have been reduced in size, but it seemed that he hadn't lost his potency.

"I'll admit boy, this is new… but if you think a single Pokémon is going to make a difference, you're dead wrong."

At first Ash had been worried that even Omegamoah wouldn't be able to take on six Pokémon by himself, but he had just plowed right through the first two as if they were nothing. And in hindsight it probably didn't matter what the rest of his Pokémon were because Omegamoah had the innate ability to adapt to whatever he fought.

"_So I can no longer threaten his little girlfriend, but breaking the so-called unstoppable Omegamoah ought to do the trick."_


	18. Evening the Odds

**(Before you read, I would like to remind you that this fanfiction predates the release of generation VI)**

Ash may have been in control of the moment, but it was still four against one.

"I choose Salamence!"

Like all the Pokémon the man with the Black Charizard had used so far, Salamence was bigger than average and was covered with surgical scars.

"What the heck does he do to those poor things?" asked Misty.

"Something tells me we don't want to know."

"Salamence, use your **Dragon Pulse**!"

Salamence hit Omegamoah with a powerful burst, but he was quickly back on his feet.

"Salamence is half dragon and half flying, and if I remember our battles with him correctly, then Omegamoah has just the attack to deal with it… Omegamoah, use your **Ice Beam**!"

Omegamoah fired a powerful Ice Beam from his mouth, but Salamence flew out of the way at an astonishing speed.

"_Now if Omegamoah automatically adapts to whatever he fights, then he should have changed to a steel type_… Salamence use your **Fire Blast**!"

Salamence blasted Omegamoah. The attack seemed to do a lot of damage, but Ash wasn't concerned.

"Omegamoah, **Recover**!"

Omegamoah started glowing and his wounds just healed. He continued to try and blast Salamence with Ice Beam attacks, but the creature was too fast. Finally Salamence got too close and Omegamoah managed to freeze its wing and send it crashing into the artificial rock.

"You're really starting to get on my nerves boy…"

"Just returning the favor. Now why don't you tell me how painful it is to inflict so much pain on your Pokémon for nothing."

"Nothing? I still have three augmented Pokémon left, each tougher than the last."

"Ooo, I'm shaking in my boots."

"Very well… I choose Aggron!"

Aggron appeared and gave a mighty roar. It's armored skin looked even tougher than usual.

"Omegamoah has undoubtedly switched to a water type since Salamence used fire against it. Aggron, use your **Thunder**!"

Omegamoah took the hit, but he was just as tough as Ash expected him to be. Since Omegamoah could adapt the man with the Black Charizard couldn't use the same attack twice, Ash on the other hand could attack with Aggron's double weakness whenever he wanted.

"Omegamoah, use your **Mud Shot**!"

Omegamoah's Mud Shot was powerful, but Aggron acted like it didn't even feel it.

"What Aggron lacks in speed he makes up for with defense, and I made it even better. Plus he has just the attack to deal with the type of Pokémon that would use that attack, **Solar Beam**!"

Aggron opened his mouth and fired a massive Solar Beam attack.

"Omegamoah, **Extreme Speed**!"

Omegamoah dodged the attack and charged at Aggron.

"Now hit it with your **Fire Blast**!"

When Aggron was hit by the attack his rough metal armor glowed red and the beast screamed in pain.

"Aggron, jump into the water!"

"What?!"

Much to everyone's surprise Aggron did as he was told, but the creature didn't sink.

"You'd think he would be too heavy to float."

"Normally he would be, but this new armor plating I gave him is durable and light weight."

Aggron jumped back onto the rock ready for more.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat… Omegamoah, **Focus Punch**!"

Omegamoah's fist started to glow and he charged at Aggron, but the creature jumped into the air before he could land the blow.

"What the?!"

"The lighter armor also makes it easier for Aggron to jump."

When Aggron landed he immediately started charging another Solar Beam and fired. Omegamoah took the attack but stayed on his feet. Then his eyes started glowing.

"What's he doing?"

"Pika-pika!"

Pikachu pointed at his head and then at Aggron.

"Oh I get it! Omegamoah, use **Focus Blast**!"

Omegamoah put his hands together and formed a light blue ball of energy that he shot at Aggron. Aggron leapt into the air but the ball followed him until it hit. Aggron came crashing back down into the pool with a huge dent in his armor.

"What?! Focus Blast has a low accuracy!"

"Which is why Omegamoah used Mind Reader, so his attack wouldn't miss."

"Well I must admit I'm impressed boy… I didn't think someone like you would be capable of controlling Omegamoah…"

"I'm just full of surprises."

"So am I… Go Tyranitar!"

The Tyranitar the appeared was about as big as Omegamoah himself, and just like all the other Pokémon the man with the Black Charizard had used it looked like it was on steroids.

"Tyranitar, **Hyper Beam**!"

When the attack hit Omegamoah he let out a louder than usual cry. He had fought four different opponents already.

"Omegamoah, **Recover**!"

It took only about five seconds for Omegamoah's injuries to heal.

"Now hit him with your **Focus Punch**!"

"Tyranitar, **Agility**!"

Tyranitar dashed out of the way. It was moving at a speed much greater than its species would normally be capable of.

"Now attack him with your **Dark Pulse**!"

Tyranitar fired a dark beam of energy from his mouth, when it hit Omegamoah he let out another painful cry. His ability to adapt made it easy for the man with the Black Charizard to predict that he'd change into a ghost type after being struck with a Hyper Beam attack. Now that he had been struck by a Dark Pulse attack he would turn into a dark type, fighting type, steel type, or any combination of the three. Psychic attacks wouldn't work on a dark type, so that meant he could use either a fighting type or a bug type attack.

"Tyranitar, use your **Signal Beam**!"

Ash was wondering if the man with the Black Charizard was using moves Tyranitar shouldn't be capable of learning just to show off.

"Omegamoah, **Counter**!"

Omegamoah's body was outlined in a colorful aura, the Signal Beam attack was sent flying back at Tyranitar. Since Tyranitar himself was a dark type Pokémon and was receiving his own powered up attack, it was very painful.

"Now finish him with **Focus Punch**!"

Omegamoah charged at Tyranitar while he was still getting his bearings and slammed his fist into his gut. Unlike Kabutops Tyranitar wasn't sent flying, but did stagger back several steps before falling backwards into the pool water and coughing up some blood.

"Well that was unnecessarily brutal." said Lily.

"We're going to need to clean the pool when this is over…"

"The mess is the least of our problems."

Much to Ash's surprise his opponent was actually clapping.

"Congratulations Ash… You're the first person in a long time to take out five of my Pokémon… But this is as far as you will get."

"I know… and then there was one."

He reached for the sixth and final Poké Ball on his belt. Omegamoah had fought five super powerful Pokémon already, but there was no doubt this would be the toughest. Even though Ash knew what it had to be he was shaking with anticipation.

"You should feel honored… It's not often I need to use him to defeat an opponent…"

"Save it till after you've beaten me!"

"As you wish… Go Charizard!"

The Black Charizard was almost as tall as Omegamoah. When he landed on the artificial rock he gave a terrifying roar. The creature had sharp blue stripes down the back of its body that matched the color of the flame dancing fiercely on the tip of its tail. Like all the other Pokémon that had gone before him his eyes were red with anger and pain.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"VROOOOOOOO!"

"Omegamoah may be the crown jewel of Team Rocket's research, but this Charizard is mine."


	19. The Black Charizard

Omegamoah had successfully fought off five pumped up Pokémon and looked like he was still ready for more. But the Black Charizard looked fiercer than anything the juggernaut Pokémon had defeated so far. Ash didn't want to waste any time ending this fight, fortunately for him Charizard was a half fire and half flying type, giving him a double weakness to rock type attacks. At first it didn't seem like even double weaknesses did much against these super Pokémon, but Omegamoah's raw power seemed to do the trick against the others.

"Before we continue Ash Ketchum I have a little proposition for you…"

"And if I don't want to hear it?"

"I think you do… Not many people ever earn the privilege of facing my prized Charizard. Those four other kids you fought couldn't even beat my weakest Pokémon. But then again they didn't have your precious Omegamoah, nor do I think they would be able to control him…"

"What's your point?"

"As renowned as I am, I am firmly aware that no one lives forever. Recently I've been looking for an apprentice to carry on my work when I'm gone. At first I considered Bolt, Crystal, Barbra, and Freddy, but you beat them all and have managed to reduce me to my last and most powerful Pokémon. I was hired to squash you like a bug right here in front of the entire world, but I'm offering you the chance to join me. With my knowledge your Pokémon will reach levels of power you've never dreamed of."

"Tell you what, you can take that offer and stick it in that ridiculously shaped mask of yours!"

"You'll change your mind once you've seen just what my most powerful Pokémon can do… Charizard, **Thunder Bolt**!"

One would have thought that the people in the audience would be used to the unusual powers of the Man with the Black Charizard's Pokémon, but a fire type like Charizard using a Thunder Bolt still got their attention. It was powerful attack but Omegamoah stood tall.

"Omegamoah, **Ancient Power**!"

Omegamoah fired a silver ball of energy at Charizard, but the black terror shot up into the air and evaded the blast.

"Oh great… He's using the same techniques he used when he battled me with Salamence."

"Charizard, **Ice Beam**!"

Charizard opened his mouth and fired an Ice Beam that froze Omegamoah from the waist down. Moments later Omegamoah freed himself with a Flame Wheel attack, but even so it looked like the last attack really did some damage, most likely because Omegamoah would have turned into a ground type after the Thunder Bolt attack.

"Omegamoah may be able to adapt to whatever he fights, but unfortunately for you Ketchum that only works if your opponent keeps using the same type of attacks over and over again. So sorry."

"I know how Omegamoah's ability works; I am the one who captured him."

"Only because you were given a special Poké Ball to do so, and you had a lot of help from the G-Men."

"Don't you watch TV? I never took all the credit for Omegamoah's capture."

"And yet for some reason the entire world thinks you're the big hero."

"_That's right, keep talking, waste time until Omegamoah regains his energy."_

The Black Charizard had proved fast enough to evade Omegamoah's Ancient Power attack, but Ash was curious so see how well it would deal with an attack it couldn't dodge, he just hoped that Team Rocket had thought to add it to the creature's arsenal.

"Omegamoah, use your **Shock Wave**!"

Charizard was half a flying type, and Shock Wave was an electric attack that never missed. The attack followed Charizard like a magnet. When it hit Charizard crashed into the artificial rock, but quickly and angrily got up.

"Charizard, attack with **Blast Burn**!"

Charizard's body started glowing with a dark aura, and then it fired a huge fiery burst that exploded when it made contact with Omegamoah. The juggernaut Pokémon screamed in pain before jumping into the water. When he came out Ash could see that the last attack had done a lot of damage.

"Omegamoah, **Recover**!"

Omegamoah's wound healed within moments, but Ash knew that using Recover took a lot of energy, they couldn't do this forever. They'd have to finish this quickly.

"Omegamoah, use **Surf**!"

Omegamoah's eyes started to glow and the pool water rose to form a big wave. But Charizard once again flew into the air to evade the attack.

"Charizard, **Dragon Claw**!"

Charizard's claws started to glow and then he swooped down and slashed across Omegamoah's shoulder.

"GEEEEEEEEEYAH!"

Omegamoah was one of the most powerful Pokémon in the world, and yet here he was screaming in pain and with blood gushing out of his wound.

"This is not good…"

Omegamoah angrily tried to blast Charizard with a Dark Pulse attack, but the creature once again flew out of the way.

"Omegamoah has undoubtedly turned into a steel type since it is only type that was strong against dragon attacks. Now I've got him trapped… Charizard, **Fire Blast**!"

Omegamoah screamed again after being hit by Charizard's attack. He collapsed onto the rock but then struggled to get up.

"Omegamoah, try another **Shock Wave**!"

When Omegamoah's attack hit it looked for a moment like Charizard was going to plummet into the pool, but it regained its senses at the last second and shot back up into the air.

"Now hit it with another **Dragon Claw**!"

Charizard swooped down and struck Omegamoah's other shoulder.

"GEEEEEEEEEYAH!"

"No! He's going to try another fire attack! Omegamoah, **Mirror Coat**!"

"Charizard, finish him!"

Before Omegamoah was hit he raised a protective barrier that sent the black Charizard's attack right back at it. When the smoke cleared both Pokémon were struggling to catch their breath.

"Gyyaaaarrgghhh…"

"Vrooooo…"

"You have skill Ash… I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"What did you say?"

"Team Rocket has barely scratched the potential of Pokémon, with my research I've done what most trainers can't accomplish in their whole lives. Just imagine what can be done with Omegamoah."

"And what makes you think I'm going to let you touch any one of my friends?"

"_Did he just call Omegamoah his friend?"_

"Kamilla was right, there's no such thing as a bad Pokémon. Omegamoah only did what he did because Team Rocket forced him to under hypnosis. And now he's a member of my team. So sickos like youand Giovanni can forget about getting your hands on him!"

Now the masked man was laughing.

"You're more like me than you Ash. Giovanni wants the world, but he can't take it with him. My motivation in life is to be the best, no matter the cost… I can see the same fire burning inside of you. We can conquer the world of Pokémon together, as father and son!"


	20. Game Over

Everyone was so shocked by the revelation that no one noticed Simmona's baby Lugia breaking out of his net and swimming to the surface to join Pikachu.

"What?!"

"What?!"

"WHAT?!"

"That guy is Ash's old man?!" exclaimed Violet.

"You're a freaking idiot." said Ash.

"That's not the reaction I was expecting."

"My father is dead. He died when I was a kid; I was there at his funeral."

"Dig up the grave… You'll find nothing but a dummy inside. I never died Ash… but the weak man who could never fulfill his dreams of being the world's greatest Pokémon Master did. After my last failed attempt to win the Indigo Conference I finally had enough. I set out into the world with my Pokémon, determined to find a way to make them more powerful than anything the world had ever seen. And I faked my death so there would be no distractions."

"If what you say is true than you're just sick!" said Misty "You abandoned your family just to buff up your Pokémon?!"

"Priorities my dear… Living dreams through your children is just pathetic. I wanted to live the dream of being the world's greatest Pokémon trainer for myself."

"Did your family really mean so little to you?"

"I do admit I had been crippled by cupid early in my youth… So much that Delia and I had one crazy night together… But nothing could ever fill the gap left by my inability to fulfill my dreams of becoming the world's greatest Pokémon trainer."

"Please, there are children in the audience." said Daisy.

"I tried absolutely everything… But as powerful as Pokémon are they have their limits, or at least they do if you aren't willing to push them. It wasn't long before I realized that I didn't care what people thought of me, whether I was famous or infamous, all that mattered was being the best. That's when I started employing controversial methods to make my Pokémon more powerful… and they worked. It doesn't matter what people think about my methods, it doesn't change the fact that they can't be beaten, and neither can I."

"So you got what you wanted… But was it worth it? How many of your Pokémon died because of your experiments? How many people have you hurt?"

"I have no regrets, save for that I have no one to carry on my legacy. But that's all about to change… Isn't it Ash?"

Ash had been silent since he stated that his father was dead.

"I would never join you, even if you were my father!"

"And why is that?"

"Because unlike you I care about my Pokémon and my friends! And to be quite honest I think you're an abomination!"

"No one cares what the son of a wanted criminal thinks, and now the whole world knows that's exactly what you are."

Ash and the others had completely forgotten about the video cameras supplying the world with a live feed of what was going on. Everybody heard that.

"If you're telling the truth, take off the mask."

"I doubt you'd recognize me." he chuckled.

"Okay, you show me the DNA test and then maybe if I'm feeling really generous I might call you daddy. And that's a big maybe, right Pikachu… Pikachu?"

"PI-KA-CHU!"

For some reason Pikachu was zapping Omegamoah with his electric attacks, and Simmona's baby Lugia was blasting him with his Hydro Pump attack.

"What are they doing?! Hasn't Omegamoah had enough? I can't believe I just said that." said Lily.

Pikachu and Lugia fired two more attacks, but it looked like Omegamoah's wounds were actually healing.

"Of course! Omegamoah has the ability to adapt to whatever he fights! And in this situation the best thing he could do would be to use the Volt and Water Absorb abilities so he can heal himself!"

Once his wounds healed, Omegamoah looked like he got his second wind.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah stood up and he looked madder than ever.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

His eyes started to glow and moments later he started foaming at the mouth.

"Is that a good thing, or does it mean we're all going to die?" asked Violet.

"PIKA! PIKA-PI PIKA!"

Omegamoah seemed to acknowledge whatever Pikachu said, and then he opened his mouth and roared.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah sent out a huge shockwave that sent Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Lugia into the pool, it also sent the Black Charizard and his master straight into the wall.

"Damn lizard…"

Blood was leaking from his armor.

"Charizard, get that thing!"

But the Black Charizard was frozen on the spot; the last attack seemed to have paralyzed him. Omegamoah saw his opportunity and started gathering energy.

"NO! NOT THE DEATH BEAM!"

"PIKA!"

Omegamoah must not have fired his Death Beam at full power because the beam was a lot thinner than the last one he had used when Ash and the others fought him. Last time the attack had been powerful enough to destroy all of Cerulean City, this time it was like a Pokémon using Explosion only a little more powerful, but even so the Black Charizard looked like it had just flown out of hell.

"Get up you overgrown hand bag!"

In the confusion Lugia swam over and picked up the detonator for the bombs that had been planted across the building.

"It looks like the game is over, and you lose!" said Ash.

Much to Ash's surprise, the man was actually laughing.

"You may have beaten me by a fluke Ash, but that doesn't change who I am. You can resist it all you want but that doesn't make what I've told you any less true."

"You're not my father!"

"You don't need to see behind my mask, a DNA test, or my grave… I think you know it in your gut that what I'm telling you is the truth. The man who inspired you to be a Pokémon trainer is a world renowned criminal. You know it, I know it, and now the whole world knows it. The seed has been planted."

"SHUT UP!"

"Charizard, get us out of here!"

He swam over to Charizard and grabbed him by the arm. There was a bright flash of light, and they were gone.

"Err… Misty, are you okay?"

"I've had worse."

Omegamoah stomped over to the place where Pikachu and Lugia were. Much to everyone's surprise the hulking creature was actually smiling.

"Gyyaaaarrgghhh…"

"Pika."

"I think the big guy is saying thank you." said Misty.

Ash may have foiled the man with the Black Charizard's scheme, but that wasn't enough to convince people that his little revelation was false. For that reason Misty's sisters had decided to let Ash take a break from playing the Prince until the heat was off. Within forty eight hours Ash had gotten ten angry emails from people who knew one of the Man with the Black Charizard's victims.

"I didn't even do anything."

They had recovered some of his blood from the gym, but Ash had grown tired of waiting for the results of the DNA test to come in. He waited until he was sure everyone was asleep and then marched out into the night, not caring how hard it was raining.

"I have to know…"

It was too rainy to fly on Charizard, and riding through the streets on Omegamoah's back in the middle of a very rainy night wouldn't help Ash's already hurt reputation, so he was walking there on foot.

"Pika-chu?"

"No Pikachu I am not changing my mind about this."

"Pika."

"I don't care if we get caught or what they do to us! I need to know!"

After about thirty minutes of marching through the rain with only a flashlight to illuminate the way, Ash finally arrived at his destination. He had to admit this place looked a lot scarier at night, not to mention in the rain. For the first time this evening he felt that he shouldn't be here.

"Get it together Ash… it's just a graveyard… filled with graves."

Looking for a specific grave in a graveyard in the middle of the night while it was raining was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Ash had never memorized the spot; he didn't have much time to come here in-between his adventures. After about another twenty minutes he finally found the grave he was looking for. There was a significant amount of grass around it, meaning this grave had been undisturbed for years

"Ash… what the fuck are you doing?" he asked himself "I need to know… Garchomp, I choose you!"

Garchomp was understandably surprised to be where he was.

"Garchomp, dig."

Garchomp looked at Pikachu and then back to Ash.

"I said… dig."

"Gaaaar…"

"Either you dig it up, or I'll do it with my bare hands, even if it takes all night!"

It didn't take long for Garchomp to reach the bottom.

"Pika-pika-chu?"

Ash didn't answer Pikachu's question, he just crawled into the hole that was already filling up with water. He stood up to his ankles in mud looking at the rotting old wooden coffin.

"I can't believe I'm doing this… but I have to know… please be in here."

Ash tugged at the lid of the coffin with all his might until it finally opened. The smell that came out of it was foul, but it wasn't the smell of rotting flesh.

"No…"

He looked exactly the same as the day they buried him. Ash bent over and touched the body's face. It was plastic.

"OH GOD!"

Everything that happened after that was just a blur in Ash's mind. He had nearly broken his bones beating the headstone before telling Garchomp to throw it, the dummy, and the coffin into the woods. When he was done he wondered home not saying a word, he was so soaked you couldn't even tell he was crying. When he finally got home he didn't know why he even bothered to take his filthy shoes off. It took him a minute to remember that his mother would kill him if he messed up the new carpet, but right now he didn't really give a damn about anything.

"Ash!"

Ash didn't expect Misty to be awake.

"Don't ask…"

"Dear god, you must be freezing!"

It took Ash a minute to realize that he could barely feel his own two feet. Misty wrapped a blanket around him and they sat down on the couch.

"You did what?!"

"I couldn't stand not knowing… I couldn't wait any longer… but now I wish I hadn't."

"What did you find?"

"The grave had been undisturbed for years… so unless the man knew five years ago that someone would want him to destroy me, and stole his body, not likely… then…"

Ash couldn't finish his sentence.

"What did you do to your hand?"

"I nearly broke it trying to beat the hell out of the headstone."

"We still haven't got the results of…"

"I don't need to see some stupid test… I can feel it…"

Misty had never seen Ash so destroyed.

"He was the reason I became a Pokémon trainer… I thought it was the coolest thing ever… And I knew if I ever became a Pokémon Master it would make him proud… Everything I've done… it was for him."

"You mean it was for the man you thought your father was."

"What difference does it make? I can't change who my father is."

"No you can't… But you're an entirely different story."

"What do you mean?"

"I've known you for a very long time Ash Ketchum. You're not a bad person. It doesn't matter who you're related to, all that matters is what you choose to do with your own life… And I have a very good feeling that you won't make the same mistakes that he did."

Pikachu leapt up on Ash's lap. This little Pokémon had been beside him since his journey began. He knew in his heart that he would never risk his life just to make him more powerful, and he would never walk out on all the friends that he had made, least of all Misty.

"I still can't believe we went separate ways after Johto… I don't know how I ever made it through my adventures without you…"

I took him a second to process that he just said that out loud.

"You managed."

"Apparently… but I thought about you every day…"

"Well… here I am. So what are you going to do?"

"That depends… are we alone?"

"If you mean, is everyone else still asleep, then yes. It's just you, me, and Pikachu."

"Well, I'd trust Pikachu with my life."

It finally happened. Ash had dreamed about this many times before, and he had seen it done on TV and in the movies, but there was definitely something lost in the translation.

"Pika!"

"It's a lot easier to kiss when no one else is watching."

"I guess so."

It was still raining outside, and according to the weather report it would be raining for awhile. Maybe it was nature's way of foreshadowing the uncertain and difficult path ahead. But as long as Ash didn't have to face it alone he didn't care.

"As long as we're together… let it pour."

A few days later, after it finally stopped raining, Ash made his way out to the grounds of Professor Oak's new lab.

"Bulbasaur, have you finished rounding them up?"

"Bulbasaur."

"Good, let's get this show on the road."

"Bulbasaur!"

At Bulbasaur's command all Ash's other Pokémon came from across the compound.

"Guys, there's someone I'd like you all to meet."

Some of Ash's Pokémon flinched as Omegamoah appeared, but others like Pikachu stood their ground.

"Pika."

Pikachu held his hand out, Omegamoah bent down and extended one of his fingers and Pikachu shook it.

"Pika!"

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"Welcome to the team big guy."

**The End**


End file.
